United Nations: One in three buildings in Gaza is destroyed or damaged

Analysis by the United Nations Satellite Center shows that nearly 94,000 housing units were affected by Israeli attacks in the past three months.

According to an analysis conducted by the United Nations Satellite Center (UNOSAT), almost every three buildings (about 30 percent) in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or damaged over the past three months. UNOSAT provided its second assessment on Friday. To do this, the center evaluated satellite images from January 6 and 7 and compared them with images from May, September, October and November 2023.

According to UNOSAT, approximately 22,000 buildings of all types were destroyed, 14,000 sustained major damage and approximately 33,000 sustained minor damage. Nearly 94,000 housing units were affected. According to a BBC report this week, the City University of New York and Oregon State University gave much higher numbers. According to the report, they talked about the destruction or damage of between 144,000 and 175,000 buildings.

The damage occurred mainly in Gaza and Khan Yunis governorates

Compared to the first UNOSAT assessment conducted at the end of November, new damage was documented mainly in the Gaza and Khan Yunis governorates. Nearly 22,000 buildings there have been destroyed or damaged since November 26.

UNOSAT is part of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). It supports all UN organizations and UN Member States by evaluating satellite images if necessary.

Refugees in Rafah live in catastrophic conditions

Israel says it only wants to destroy extremist groups' infrastructure, not civilian facilities. Terrorists use such facilities to attack targets in Israel or to store weapons there. According to the United Nations, 1.7 of the Gaza Strip's population of about 2.2 million have fled due to the fighting and Israel's calls to evacuate. There are a particularly large number of them in the city of Rafah, south of the coastal strip. According to the United Nations, they live in disastrous conditions, sometimes in the open air, without toilets and without adequate food.

Although there is enough food and water for the entire population in trucks at the border, Israel does not grant entry permits to many convoys. Israel contradicts this representation. The ongoing fighting also prevented the extradition of hundreds of thousands of people. (APA/DPA)