Before and after satellite photos of the Gaza Strip

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The war between Israel and Hamas, we are now getting closer to a potential ceasefiredevastated the Gaza Strip. Satellite photos give a sense of the destruction of the territory, which has been largely sealed off to journalists and others.

Some images illustrated a probable buffer zonesought by Israel despite international objections, which would remove about 60 square kilometers (23 square miles) from the enclave. In total, the strip of land bordering the Mediterranean Sea spans around 360 square kilometers (139 square miles) and Palestinians hope it will be part of a future state, alongside the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Other images tell how life for Palestinians changed during the war. Gaza City, the strip’s main dense city, was decimated, with buildings destroyed and roads filled with rubble.

As the war progressed, Israel ordered the population to move further south. Today, the result of this movement is visible in images from Muwasi, just north of the Gaza Strip’s southern border with Egypt. There, the sandy coast and surrounding farmland have been overrun by thousands of tents, all visible from space.

The images also helped relief agencies and experts estimate the extent of the damage.

Corey Scher of the City University of New York and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University have been studying Gaza since the war began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas entered Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 others hostage. Their latest assessment, released Thursday, estimates that 59.8% of all buildings in Gaza were likely damaged during the war.

That’s slightly lower than a December analysis by the United Nations Satellite Center. An estimated 69% of all structures in Gaza were damaged in the fighting, which killed more than 46,000 people, according to local health authorities. They do not distinguish between civilians and militants, but say women and children make up more than half of those killed.

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