Satellite Images Reveal Extensive Destruction Across Gaza After Nearly Three Years of War

Newly updated satellite images from Google Maps have revealed the extensive destruction across the Gaza Strip nearly three years after the war between Israel and Hamas began.

The images, examined by Al Jazeera, show entire neighbourhoods reduced to rubble, farmland severely damaged and places of worship destroyed or badly affected.

A recent assessment by the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) found that the number of destroyed structures in Gaza increased by 9 percent since a ceasefire took effect nearly a year ago.

According to UN agencies, about 82 percent of structures in Gaza — roughly 200,000 buildings — have been damaged, while around two-thirds of those structures have been destroyed.

Satellite comparisons from Rafah in southern Gaza to North Gaza show the scale of the devastation.

In Tal as-Sultan, a once densely populated neighbourhood in western Rafah, satellite images now show little more than sand where homes previously stood. The area was largely emptied after Israeli military operations began in Rafah in May 2024.

In Al-Mawasi, which Israel had designated as a humanitarian zone for displaced Palestinians, recent satellite images show large numbers of tents and displaced families occupying the previously sparsely populated coastal area. The area has also been repeatedly attacked, according to Al Jazeera.

In Khan Younis, UNOSAT recorded 51,885 damaged structures in its October 2025 assessment, the highest number among Gaza's governorates. The area has also suffered extensive agricultural damage.

The Indonesian Istiqlal Mosque in Khan Younis was destroyed during the war after having reopened less than two years earlier.

In Gaza City, UNOSAT recorded 51,530 damaged structures, including 41,663 in Gaza City itself. The city's port, which once supported a major fishing industry, has also been severely damaged, with most fishing boats destroyed, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

In Jabalia refugee camp, satellite images show entire blocks reduced to rubble. The wider North Gaza governorate recorded damage to 94 percent of its cropland by July 2025, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

According to figures cited by Al Jazeera, more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 175,000 injured since the war began on October 7, 2023. The actual death toll could be higher because many people remain missing beneath the rubble.

Al Jazeera also reported that since the ceasefire announced in October last year, more than 1,400 people have been killed and nearly 5,000 injured.