Table of Contents
Israeli Demollitions in Gaza :
A resort hotel overlooking the mid-oceanic. It’s a multi-story courthouse, constructed in 2018. In a couple of seconds, scores of dwellings were destroyed due to an explosion.
There is ample evidence of the harm done to Gaza by Israeli attacks. But in recent months, Israeli ground forces have also detonated a controlled barrage of explosives that has drastically changed the terrain.
Since November, hundreds of buildings, including mosques, schools, and entire residential blocks in civilian areas, have been destroyed by at least 33 targeted demolitions, according to film from Israeli military operations, social media posts, and satellite images studied by The New York Times.
An Israeli military spokeswoman responded to inquiries over the demolitions by saying that, among other things, troops are locating and demolishing “terrorist infrastructure” that is concealed within buildings and that, occasionally, entire districts double as “combat zones” for Hamas.
The Israeli officer claimed that Israel planned to destroy Palestinian buildings close to the border under the pretense of establishing a security “buffer zone” within Gaza. They spoke anonymously because they were not permitted to publicly address the matter. But according to The Times, the majority of the identified demolitions took place outside of the so-called buffer zone. Similar to the attack in southern Israel on October 7, the confirmed number of demolitions—based on the visual evidence that is now available—represents only a small portion of the actual count carried out by Israel since the beginning of the conflict.
Last week, twenty-one Israeli soldiers were killed when their unit was preparing to detonate several buildings near the Gaza border. Israeli officials reported that Palestinian fighters fired a rocket-propelled grenade in their direction, causing the explosives to detonate.
According to Rear Admiral Daniel Hageri, the chief spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the soldiers were clearing the area to allow residents of southern Israel to safely return to their homes.
In December, the U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated that the construction of a buffer zone approximately 36 miles long along the Gaza-Israel border would be a violation of Washington’s long-standing position against the depletion of territory in Gaza. Legal experts argue that demolitions—which ultimately prevent some Palestinians from returning to their homes—may violate the rules of war that aim to prevent wanton destruction of civilian property.
In a video of a demolition at the end of November, a controlled explosion brought down at least four high-rise residential buildings just a short distance from a major hospital in Gaza City. In December, another demolition destroyed more than a dozen buildings around central Palestine Square in the city, which the Israeli military said was a hub for a large network of tunnels
Satellite data indicates that at least half of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed since the conflict began. The majority of the damage is caused by airstrikes and combat, but some of the most catastrophic incidents are large-scale deliberate demolitions.
Video footage from January shows soldiers blowing up multiple structures in Khuzza City, in southern Gaza, close to the buffer zone with Khan Yunis. There were about 200 demolished homes. In other films, troops are seen cheering and starting fires while demolitions are underway.
In some videos, they are targeting the demolition of underground infrastructure. Others have seized upon the destruction of mosques, United Nations-affiliated schools, and university buildings—among them, the demolition of an Israeli university in January, which drew widespread condemnation after the video was circulated online. Following questions raised by U.S. officials about the decision to demolish the university, the Israeli military stated that the case was “under review.” While the site had been cleared and secured by Israeli ground forces, military officials said it once served as a Hamas training camp and weapons-production facility—a claim that The Times was unable to verify.
At the University of Geneva, Professor of International Law Marco Sassòli said, “This has been used by enemy combatants before, and this type of destruction is not legitimate.” He emphasized that such demolitions should only be carried out when absolutely necessary for military operations. “I cannot imagine how a university, parliament building, mosque, school, or hotel could be a case in the middle of the Gaza Strip.”
An Israeli military spokesperson stated that all actions by Israeli forces are “based on military necessity and in accordance with international law.”
For Palestinians, the demolitions are another symbol of loss and devastation in Gaza, raising questions about the region’s future after decades of displacement and conflict.
Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to Britain, said, “Israel’s plan is to destroy Gaza and make it uninhabitable.” “Israel’s goal has always been to make it impossible for our people to return to their land.”
Two days after the deaths of 21 Israeli soldiers in central Gaza, another demolition video emerged. In it, a soldier says that 21 homes will be destroyed in their memory
CLICK HERE for more information reagrding Hamas conflict.