Israel Razes Civilian Areas in Gaza as Demolition Campaign Expands
Gaza – Israel has destroyed thousands of civilian buildings across the Gaza Strip in a sweeping demolition campaign that intensified after its withdrawal from a ceasefire with Hamas in March. Verified satellite imagery and video evidence show entire towns, residential areas, schools, and civic infrastructure have been reduced to rubble under controlled explosions.
In Rafah, a city near the Egyptian border, the destruction is most visible. Once home to tens of thousands, large sections of the city have been bulldozed, including Tel al-Sultan a neighborhood known for its maternity hospital and care center for orphans. Satellite images from early July show that nearly all structures in the area, apart from the hospital, have been flattened.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it has carried out planned demolitions. In a statement, an IDF spokesperson said, “Destruction of property is only performed when an imperative military necessity is demanded,” and claimed Hamas has hidden military assets in densely populated civilian zones.
However, independent analysis and legal experts dispute the justification. Satellite images reviewed between March and July show entire neighborhoods in Rafah, Khan Younis, and northern Gaza were destroyed even where little previous damage existed.
An investigation identified 40 separate locations where civilian infrastructure including schools and homes was deliberately demolished. Video clips show excavators, bulldozers, and controlled detonations reducing buildings to debris.
In Khuza’a, a town once known for agriculture, satellite footage showed that between May and mid-June, nearly every structure had been wiped out. Before the war, the town had a population of 11,000. The IDF stated it had demolished 1,200 buildings there, labeling them as part of Hamas “terror infrastructure.”
Abasan al-Kabira, home to 27,000 people before the conflict, was similarly leveled in just over a month. Tracks from heavy machinery and fresh clearances appeared in satellite imagery from July, revealing an erasure of urban areas deep inside Gaza not just near the Israeli border.
Legal scholars have raised red flags. Eitan Diamond, a legal analyst, said that international law allows such destruction only under strict and immediate military necessity. “Destroying property due to concerns about future use does not meet that threshold,” he stated.
A report by Professor Janina Dill also emphasized that an occupying power must ensure the welfare of civilians. “Turning territory into an unlivable zone contradicts that responsibility,” she said.
Israeli officials have discussed post-demolition plans, including what Defense Minister Israel Katz called a “humanitarian city” to host 600,000 Palestinians on Rafah’s ruins. Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert condemned the idea, warning that it “will be interpreted as being akin to a concentration camp.”
Recent Israeli media reports confirm the IDF has received dozens of D9 armored bulldozers from the United States, despite earlier suspensions. Online job posts in Hebrew-language Facebook groups have advertised demolition work in Gaza, including specific assignments in the Philadelphi Corridor and Morag Axis.
One contractor, when asked for comment, responded, “Go [expletive] yourself, you and Gaza.”
Residents displaced by the demolitions have described total loss. Moataz Yousef Ahmed Al-Absi from Tel al-Sultan said, “I had just moved into my home a year before the war started. Now it’s completely destroyed. I no longer have a home or shelter.”
As demolitions continue, questions remain unanswered. The IDF has not provided detailed military reasons for the destruction at the 40 verified sites. Human rights monitors continue to document the damage, while civilians count their losses.
Israel now claims operational control over most of the Gaza Strip outside the designated al-Mawasi humanitarian zone. What remains unclear is how displaced civilians will survive in an environment systematically stripped of shelter, schools, farmland, and public facilities.
The war, which reignited with full force after March, shows no sign of slowing. But for thousands of Gazans, the battle is already over. Their homes are gone.
About the Author
