Satellite imagery shows Israel still demolishing Gaza buildings a year after ceasefire

Centre · 1Satellite imagery shows the Israeli military has systematically razed the southern Gaza city of Rafah, once home to a quarter million people, along with other towns and districts, according to the Associated Press. 1 Centre · 2Demolition with bulldozers and explosives has continued since the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal reached a year ago, as Israel holds about 60 per cent of the territory. 1 2 Centre · 1Planet Labs imagery shows the vast majority of buildings in the Israeli-held part have been reduced to rubble, much of it after major fighting ended, and at least 50 Israeli military outposts, at least 18 built since the ceasefire began. 1

Centre · 2Most of Rafah was razed before the ceasefire, but troops continue to demolish the few remaining buildings; several abandoned UN buildings were spared, and a municipal sports field appears to contain a military base. 1 2 Centre · 1Elsewhere, Beni Suhaila was levelled over the past year, most of the al-Awda Hospital Complex in Jabaliya was reduced to rubble in recent months, and most of Beit Hanoun and Shijaiya are now levelled. 1 Centre · 2The Israeli military says it demolishes buildings to prevent Hamas using them and to destroy its tunnel networks. 1 2

Centre · 2A UN-appointed expert said in a February report that the destruction of civilian housing and infrastructure was "unprecedented even by the terrible standards of modern warfare since the 20th century" and could constitute a crime against humanity or reach the level of genocide; Israel rejects genocide accusations, saying it targets Hamas and its infrastructure embedded in civilian areas. 1 2 Centre · 1Hindustan Times adds that a UN commission concluded in September 2025 that Israel had committed genocide, and that Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Association of Genocide Scholars reached similar conclusions. 2 Centre · 2The ceasefire stopped the largest offensives, but Israel still strikes almost daily, saying it targets Hamas members; Al Jazeera, cited by Hindustan Times, counts 1,462 Palestinians killed since the ceasefire. 1 2

Centre · 2Gaza's roughly 2 million people are squeezed into about 40 per cent of the territory, mostly in tents; more than one in 10 of the pre-war population has been killed or wounded. 1 2 Centre · 1Few can rebuild because Israel bars most construction material, and the ceasefire's large-scale reconstruction plan has not started because Israel and Hamas have not agreed on Hamas disarming; aid has eased the famine of last year, but most people still depend on relief. 1