GENEVA: Nearly two-thirds of the buildings in the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed since the Israel\s war on Gaza began in October last year, according to the UN report.
“UNOSAT’s latest building damage assessment, based on satellite imagery, reveals that 151,265 structures have been affected in the Gaza Strip,” stated the UN Satellite Center. Of these, 30 percent were destroyed, 12 percent severely damaged, 36 percent moderately damaged, and 20 percent possibly damaged, accounting for approximately 63 percent of the total structures in the region.
The assessment compared imagery from May 2023 onward with images from July 6 this year. “The impact on civilian infrastructure is evident, with thousands of homes and essential facilities being damaged,” the agency noted.
UNOSAT reported that the total debris generated by the conflict in the Gaza Strip amounts to approximately 41.95 million metric tonnes. This figure represents an 83 percent increase from the nearly 23 million tonnes estimated on January 7. The conflict has resulted in 14 times more debris than the combined total from all previous conflicts in the Palestinian territory since 2008.
The agency estimated that 114 kg of debris was generated for each square meter in the Gaza Strip. Geneva-based UNOSAT indicated that its satellite imagery-based analysis helps the humanitarian community assess the extent of conflict-related damage and shape emergency relief efforts.
