Half of Gaza’s buildings hit by war – 9 February 2024

MORE than half of all the buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed in the war between Israel and Hamas.

Gaza is a region controlled by a group called Hamas, which is classed as a terrorist group in the UK. In October, Hamas invaded Israel, killing more than 1,000 people and taking others as hostages. Since then, Israel has bombarded Gaza with rockets, and Hamas sources say more than 22,000 people there have died.

Satellite data seen by the BBC suggests that at least 144,000 (50%) of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed, and it could actually be as many as 175,000 buildings (61%).

The United Nations (UN) says that about 1.7 million people have had to leave their homes, which is eight out of ten people in Gaza. Most of them are living in makeshift structures, in tents or out in the open air.

It’s been hard to get aid (food, water and medicine) in to help them, and the UN has warned that a famine “is looming”.

Published Friday 9 February 2024

Picture credit: Getty