Israel-Gaza War: At least half of all buildings in the Gaza Strip are apparently damaged or destroyed

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Chan Yunis: Palestinians leave the Nasser Hospital area after an evacuation request from the Israeli army

Photo: Mohammed Talatene / dpa

Almost four months after the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, at least half of all buildings in the coastal strip on the Mediterranean have been damaged or destroyed, according to a media report. As the BBC reported on Tuesday after evaluating satellite data, between 144,000 and 175,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed. That is between 50 and 61 percent of all buildings in the coastal area. The footage also shows that the bombardment of the southern and central Gaza Strip has intensified since the beginning of December, with the hotly contested town of Chan Yunis in the south of the coastal area being particularly badly affected.

Israel repeatedly emphasizes that it is at war with the terrorist organization Hamas and not with civilians. Hamas fighters used civilian buildings to attack from, store weapons and hide entrances to underground tunnels. Across the Gaza Strip, residential areas have been devastated, once-bustling shopping streets reduced to rubble, universities destroyed and farmland disturbed, the BBC reported.

Violent attacks on Chan Junis in recent weeks

The satellite images were analyzed at the City University of New York and Oregon State University. Older and current images were compared to identify changes in the height or structure of buildings that indicated damage.

According to the analysis, in the city of Khan Yunis, which is considered a Hamas stronghold, more than 38,000 or more than 46 percent of the buildings have now been destroyed or damaged. According to the UN, thousands of people have fled to Rafah. More than 1.3 million people, more than half of the approximately 2.2 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, were now staying there.

Israel's foreign minister is resisting advice from Washington and Berlin

Meanwhile, in the dispute over a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict, Israel's foreign minister has once again emphasized that his country wants to retain security responsibility in the Gaza Strip for a few more years. This will apply “until we are sure that we will no longer be killed by the residents of Gaza,” said Israel Katz to the “Bild” newspaper, Welt TV and “Politico”. Israel's message for Holocaust Remembrance Day this week was: "It must be clear that what happened must not be allowed to happen again."

Regarding advice from Washington and Berlin, among others, on a two-state solution in the Middle East conflict with the Palestinians, Katz said: "It is absolutely absurd that, after everything that has happened, today Israel is being told that a two-state solution is the right thing." Given the fact that Palestinians had killed Jews, Palestinians would not be given the task of being responsible for the safety of Jews in the future.

At the same time, he clearly rejected calls from within his own government for Israeli repopulation of the Gaza Strip after the end of the war: "That won't happen. The government's policy is clear, even if individual ministers say otherwise. Israel will not govern Gaza or decide on Gaza.

hen/dpa