Gaza’s destruction detailed in numbers before ceasefire

The war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas, which on Wednesday agreed to a ceasefire, has killed tens of thousands of people and created a humanitarian disaster.

The fragile ceasefire is set to begin Sunday but still requires approval from Israel’s cabinet.

The fighting has devastated Gaza’s densely populated urban landscape, leaving scars that could take decades to repair.

170,000 buildings damaged or destroyed

Gaza, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, was home to 2.4 million people before the war. By December 1, 2024, nearly 69% of Gaza's buildings — 170,812 in total — had been damaged or destroyed, according to UN Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) analysis.

Researchers Corey Scher and Jamon Van Den Hoek, using a different methodology, counted 172,015 buildings impacted as of January 11, 2025.

Casualties mount

Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures tallied by AFP.

Since October 7, at least 46,788 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in Israel's military campaign, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The UN considers those figures reliable.

Rafah city half destroyed

Before the war, Gaza City was home to about 600,000 people. Nearly 74.2% of its buildings have been damaged or destroyed.

Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city, has also suffered extensively. By May, nearly 48.7% of buildings in Rafah had been damaged, up from 33.9% the previous month, after an Israeli ground offensive.

A combination of satellite images shows a general view of Rafah, the surrounding area and the southern border with Egypt, from September 30, 2023 (top-left), to November 3, 2023 (top-right), October 8, 2024 (bottom-left), and January 15, 2025 (bottom-right). 2024 Planet Labs Inc./Reuters

Although relatively spared compared with Gaza City, gutted facades and buildings stand testament to the scars of war.

Amnesty International reported that more than 90% of the buildings along Gaza’s 58-square-kilometer border with Israel were “destroyed or severely damaged” between October 2023 and May 2024.

The United Nations estimates that reconstruction could take up to 15 years and cost $50 billion.

Healthcare system in crisis

Israel has accused Hamas of using Gaza’s hospitals for military purposes, a claim Hamas denies.

Palestinians walk among debris following the Israeli attack on the courtyard of Kamal Adwan Hospital and its surrounding buildings in Beit Lahia, Gaza on December 25, 2024. AFP

Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza, one of the few still operational, was rendered out of service in late December after an Israeli strike, according to the World Health Organization.

As of December 31, only 18 of Gaza's 36 hospitals were partially functioning, with just 1,800 beds available, the WHO said.

Nearly 90% of Schools Damaged

The territory’s largely UN-run schools, which served as shelters for civilians, have also suffered significant damage.

UNICEF reported that by December 1, 2024, nearly 88% of Gaza’s 564 schools had been damaged, with 396 directly hit by strikes.

Farmland and Infrastructure Decimated

Satellite imagery from August 26, 2024, revealed that 68% of Gaza’s farmland — around 103 square kilometers — was damaged, with the northern and southern regions hardest hit.

The destruction extends to roads, with 1,190 kilometers of roadways destroyed and more than 800 kilometers either badly or moderately damaged, according to UNOSAT.

The war’s material toll highlights the daunting task of rebuilding Gaza, with international aid and reconstruction efforts critical to the territory's recovery.