U.N. Releases Satellite Images of Destruction in Gaza

 By 
Colin Daileda
 on 
U.N. Releases Satellite Images of Destruction in Gaza
Palestinians walk past the rubble of houses destroyed by Israeli strikes in Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip, on July 27. Credit: Lefteris Pitarakis

The United Nations this weekend released images showing the destruction in Gaza caused by fighting between the Israeli military and Hamas militants.

The pictures show areas in Gaza before the conflict began on July 6 and the damage done by July 25. The images also identify structures that have been destroyed and "severely" or "moderately" damaged in Gaza City, Toffah, Shijaia and Shaaf.

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The devastation is extensive.

The U.N. tallies 604 destroyed structures and 236 more with heavy damage, though the information has yet to be validated on the ground. Sections of the Gaza satellite image are swathed in red and orange, indicating a huge number of structures either eradicated or nearly toppled.

Displaced Gaza residents returned home during a 12-hour ceasefire this weekend, though many came home to rubble where their houses had stood only days before.

The U.N. map also marks the locations of mosques, hospitals and schools, some in areas that have taken the heaviest toll during the fighting. Israel has been criticized for bombing areas near schools and hospitals. The Israeli government has countered that Hamas is hiding weapons in those locations and sheltering among civilians.

More than 1,030 Palestinians have been killed during the conflict, many of them civilians. Two Israeli civilians have died, along with 43 soldiers.

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