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In Pictures

Gallery|Israel-Palestine conflict

Aerial photos show scale of Israeli destruction in Gaza

Many are returning to their homes, but more than a year of Israeli bombardment has left most houses in ruins.

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Palestinians walking past the rubble of houses and buildings.
Palestinians walking past destroyed homes in Khan Younis city in southern Gaza [Mohammed Salem/Reuters]
By News Agencies
Published On 20 Jan 202520 Jan 2025

Much of the Gaza Strip is destroyed after more than 15 months of relentless Israeli bombings, leaving hundreds of thousands of Palestinians with nowhere to live.

About 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents were forcibly displaced during the genocide – many of them multiple times.

With a ceasefire now in effect, many are returning to their homes, but more than a year of Israeli bombardment has left most houses in ruins and completely uninhabitable.

“The halting of the bloodshed is an indescribable feeling. I thank God that I survived this war safely. However, when we returned to our homes, we found nothing but ruin and destruction. I cannot describe the scene in words. I don’t know what to say,” Jomaa Shadi, a displaced Palestinian, told Al Jazeera.

“I built this house piece by piece, and when I returned to it, I didn’t find it as I knew it. I don’t see my home, I only see destruction.”

had been reduced to rubble
According to an analysis by US-based researchers Jamon Van Den Hoek and Corey Scher, at least 60 percent of all buildings in Gaza have been destroyed. [Mohammed Salem/Reuters]
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reduced to rubble
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 46,707 Palestinians and injured 110,265. Some estimates put the actual toll at much higher. [Mohammed Salem/Reuters]
reduced to rubble
A view of the destruction in Rafah. About 90 percent of Gaza’s population was forcibly displaced, making it among the highest recorded percentages in modern conflicts. [Hassan Jedi/Anadolu]
reduced to rubble
Some experts estimate that it will take at least a decade to remove the 42 million tonnes of rubble in Gaza. [Hassan Jedi/Anadolu]
The destruction inflicted by the Israeli army on Jabalia
An aerial view of the destruction in Jabalia in northern Gaza. [Mahmoud Isleem/Anadolu]
The destruction inflicted by the Israeli army on Jabalia
Entire neighbourhoods have been reduced to rubble, leaving millions of people reliant on humanitarian aid for shelter and survival. [Mahmoud Isleem/Anadolu]
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The destruction inflicted by the Israeli army on Jabalia
Some 92 percent (436,000) of housing units in Gaza are destroyed or damaged, in addition to 80 percent of commercial facilities. [Mahmoud Isleem/Anadolu]

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