Satellite Images Reveal Total Devastation in Gaza After Years of War

The Erasure of Rafah and Tal as-Sultan

Recent findings from the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) reveal a 9% increase in destroyed structures across the territory since a ceasefire took effect nearly a year ago. Data from the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, indicates that roughly 82% of all buildings in Gaza show varying degrees of damage, with two-thirds completely reduced to rubble. Comparative visual analysis by journalists using Google Maps, spanning from Rafah in the south to the northern sector with imagery captured between 2024 and the current year, underscores the widespread catastrophe.

The Overcrowded Humanitarian Zoneof Al-Mawasi

The western neighborhood of Tal as-Sultan in Rafah demonstrates the sheer scale of the impact. Once a densely populated urban area, it has been virtually wiped off the map, leaving only barren sand dunes where homes once stood. As the southernmost point, Rafah served as a critical refuge for displaced Palestinians fleeing other regions. When military operations expanded there in May 2024, approximately one million people were forced to relocate yet again, draining UNRWA shelters and driving crowds toward Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah.

Khan Younis and Gaza City Bear the Brunt

Al-Mawasi, a sparse coastal strip of sand and farmland along Rafah and Khan Younis, was initially designated by Israel as a safe humanitarian zone. Despite a public warning from then-US President Joe Biden in May 2024 stating, „If they go into Rafah, ... I'm not supplying the weapons,”the operation proceeded anyway. This pushed hundreds of thousands more civilians into Al-Mawasi, which subsequently faced repeated bombardments. Today, satellite photos show this formerly empty area packed tightly with makeshift tents and desperate families.

By October 2025, UNOSAT reported that the Khan Younis Governorate suffered the highest number of damaged structures, totaling 51,885 buildings. This region was a primary agricultural hub, recording the most extensive crop land destruction in Gaza. Notable losses include the Indonesian Istiqlal Mosque in the Ma’an area, which was destroyed shortly after its reopening. Meanwhile, the Gaza Governorate recorded 51,530 damaged structures, with 41,663 located directly within Gaza City. The historic Gaza City port, vital for a fishing industry that once supported 110,000 people, suffered severe damage alongside the destruction of most fishing boats, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization.

Northern Devastation and Agriculture Collapse

In the northern sector, the North Gaza Governorate suffered the highest proportion of agricultural damage, with 94% of its farmland ruined by July 2025, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Throughout the conflict, communities in Beit Lahiya, Jabalia, and surrounding northern areas faced relentless military operations, forced displacements, and severe blockades on humanitarian aid.