Israeli strikes leave 1.5 mln homeless in Gaza

GAZA STRIP

Israel’s relentless bombardments in Gaza for nearly three months destroyed 70 percent of the houses in the besieged strip, leaving nearly 1.5 million people homeless, the Hamas-run government’s media office has revealed.

Although no specific details were provided, an earlier report revealed over 200 heritage and archaeological sites were also destroyed in this devastating Israeli bombardment.

A Wall Street Journal report further indicated that out of 439,000 homes, about 300,000 have been destroyed by Israeli attacks. Analyzing satellite imagery, the report added that the 29,000 bombs dropped on the strip have targeted residential areas, churches, hospitals and shopping malls and all civilian infrastructure has been damaged to an extent that they cannot be repaired.

Political scientist Robert Pape from the University of Chicago compared the destruction in Gaza to historical bombings, stating, “The word ‘Gaza’ is going to go down in history along with Dresden [Germany] and other famous cities that have been bombed.”

The ongoing offensive in Gaza has surpassed the destruction witnessed in the Allied bombing of Germany in World War II. It has resulted in the deaths of over 21,500 people and 55,000 injuries, with more than 1,000 children undergoing amputations since Oct. 7.

With Israeli forces expanding their ground offensive this week, tens of thousands more Palestinians streamed into the already crowded city of Rafah at the southernmost end of Gaza.

Thousands of tents and makeshift shacks have sprung up on Rafah’s outskirts next to U.N. warehouses. Displaced people arrived in Rafah on foot or on trucks and carts piled high with mattresses. Those who did not find space in overwhelmed shelters pitched tents on roadsides.

More than a week after a U.N. Security Council resolution called for the unhindered delivery of aid at scale across besieged Gaza, conditions have only worsened, U.N. agencies warned.