Israeli forces have destroyed more than 2,500 buildings in Gaza since the signing of the ceasefire deal in early October, The New York Times reported on Monday, citing satellite imagery from Planet Labs.
The majority of the demolitions have occurred on the Israeli-occupied side of the so-called “yellow line,” the vague boundary separating the two sides of Gaza, but the IDF has also destroyed dozens of buildings beyond the yellow line.
The Times report cited Husam Badran, who said the demolitions were a violation of the ceasefire deal, which calls for the halt of “all military operations” in Gaza. “The agreement isn’t vague, it’s clear,” he said. “Destroying people’s homes and property isn’t allowed. They’re hostile actions.”
The IDF has justified the demolitions by claiming it is only destroying Hamas infrastructure and tunnels, but others have noted the indiscriminant nature of the campaign, which has involved the destruction of entire residential blocks, farmland, and greenhouses.
“This is absolute destruction,” Shaul Arieli, a former IDF officer, told the Times. “It’s not selective destruction, it’s everything.”
Mohammed al-Astal, a political analyst based in Gaza, told the paper that the IDF is “destroying everything in front of it — homes, schools, factories, and streets. There’s no security justification for what it’s doing.”
Israel has also continued launching attacks against Palestinians across Gaza, killing at least 442 and wounding 1,240 since the ceasefire was supposed to go into effect, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
