A complex and weak deal to stop fighting in the Gaza Strip has been reachedwith hostilities expected to cease on Sunday – more than 15 months after the Israel-Hamas war began.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 46,000 Palestinians have died, and more than 110,000 have been injured since the start of the war. The conflict began on October 7, 2023, when terrorists led by Hamas attacked Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and injuring 250 others. In response, Israel launched a military campaign that has devastated much of Gaza.
As a ceasefire approaches – and the exact time has not been confirmed – these maps and charts show the extent of the destruction in Gaza since the start of the war.
More than half of Gaza was damaged or destroyed
An analysis of satellite images by researchers at Oregon State University indicates that approximately 59 percent of buildings in the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed since October 12, 2023, when the study began. The hardest-hit area is Gaza City and the surrounding Gaza Strip, where 74 percent of buildings have been scarred or demolished by the war.
Human tax
As the ceasefire was officially announced, the death toll in Gaza exceeded 46,000, according to the region's Ministry of Health. However, due to the chaos of the war, determining the exact number of casualties has been challenging and under investigation.
A peer-reviewed study published in The Lancet on January 9 suggesting that the official figures may be grossly underestimated. On June 30, 2024, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported 37,877 deaths, but the academic study estimated that the number was around 64,200 before that date.
The UN Human Rights Office has also commented on the tax. In a report in November 2024, he said that 70 percent of deaths were women and children.
Major Israeli operations in Gaza
As the ceasefire approaches, data from the Institute for the Study of War provides insight into Israeli military activity in Gaza.
Map data shows heavy activity in the hardline Gaza Government, many Israeli soldiers are still active in large parts of Rafah, a strategic area for Israel. One major area of interest is the Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow strip of land adjacent to Egypt. Israel has tried to control this area to control entrances to Egypt. However, a Reuters report suggests that as part of the ceasefire agreement, Israeli forces will withdraw from the corridor.
As part of the phased ceasefire agreement, Israel has agreed to withdraw from populated areas in the first phase, which is expected to last six weeks, and is expected to withdraw from Gaza until complete in the second phase, the details of which are still to be finalised. .
