According to US researchers, between 56,000 and 74,000 buildings have been damaged since the start of the Gaza war on October 7. In the northern Gaza Strip, 40 to 50 percent of all buildings have already been damaged. Damage was said to be less in the south.
This also applies to Rafah, near the border with Egypt. According to the research team, five to eight percent of the buildings there are currently damaged. The Decentralized Damage Mapping Group (DDMG) investigated the attacks in the Palestinian coastal area using satellite data. New remote sensing data was sent every five to six days. The researchers then evaluate this data and look for changes on the ground.
One key finding: “In the north, very steady and rapidly increasing damage can be observed,” Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University said Wednesday. “We were all surprised by the speed at which this all happened.”
One reason for this is the dense population in the Gaza Strip. More than 2.2 million people live in an area only slightly larger than that of the city of Munich. For comparison, about 1.5 million people live in Munich, slightly fewer than in the Gaza Strip.
The UN emergency agency OCHA had earlier reported damage to thousands of homes, citing the Gaza Strip’s Ministry of Public Works and Housing, which is controlled by Hamas. According to information from the end of October, at least 45 percent of all housing units had already been damaged or destroyed.
Stranded people can travel to Gaza on Friday
At the start of the Gaza war, hundreds of Palestinians were stranded in Egypt. They were in the country for medical treatment, other appointments or transit. Many then tried to reach Gaza before the Rafah crossing closed but failed to make it in time, media said.
Anyone who is stranded and wants to voluntarily return to the Gaza Strip will be allowed to enter there on Friday. The border authority on the Palestinian side announced this on Thursday. The Egyptian side informed them about this. The announced ceasefire also starts on this day (see video above).
Meanwhile, the departure of foreigners and people from Palestine to Egypt with a second passport continued. About 350 people with passports from Turkey, Russia, Germany and the US are expected to leave the closed coastal area. Since the start of the war, about 6,700 people have left for Egypt with a second passport.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
