The ongoing conflict in Gaza, which has persisted for 21 months, has resulted in approximately 70% of buildings being either destroyed or damaged, transforming the area into a debris-laden environment weighing millions of tons and plunging it into darkness, according to an analysis conducted by a French news agency in collaboration with United Nations data and NASA.
The Israeli military has relentlessly bombarded the densely populated Gaza Strip, which spans 365 square kilometers, as a continuation of hostilities ignited by an unprecedented attack carried out by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
This assault by Hamas reportedly resulted in the deaths of 1,219 individuals, predominantly civilians, as determined by a count conducted by the news agency based on official statistics.
53 million tons of debris
Israeli airstrikes and military operations have led to the deaths of 59,219 Palestinians in Gaza, most of whom are civilians, according to the latest figures from the health ministry overseen by Hamas, which the United Nations recognizes as reliable.
Apart from human casualties, the region has faced significant material destruction. By April 4, 2025, Israeli military actions had resulted in the destruction of 174,500 buildings, as reported by the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT).
According to UNOSAT, the debris resulting from this destruction is estimated to weigh 53.5 million tons, which is roughly ten times the weight of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.
This translates to an average of about 146 kilograms of rubble for every square meter of land, as per the UN agency.
Before the current conflict, Gaza had already experienced infrastructural damage from prior Israeli strikes.
However, since October 2023, the destruction has accumulated to a volume 18 times greater than the total debris from all previous Israeli demolitions over the last 15 years.
Asbestos hazard
A July assessment by the United Nations Environment Programme indicated that this mass of debris contains toxic materials that could threaten the health of Gaza’s residents.
Estimates from the program suggest that the debris from older buildings harbors 3.7 tons of asbestos, while the rubble from industrial buildings contains 2.6 tons of hazardous waste.
Several refugee camps, including Jabalia, Nussairat, Al-Maghazi, Khan Younis, and Rafah, are located close to “debris that might be contaminated with asbestos,” according to the program.
Half of hospitals are “partially operational”
Medical facilities have also suffered severe damage due to Israeli airstrikes, which the military claims are aimed at sites where Hamas militants are purported to be hiding or launching attacks from.
By June 30, only 18 out of the 36 hospitals in the Gaza Strip were functioning “partially,” according to United Nations reports.
Of the 136 healthcare facilities, only 63 (less than 40%) were able to provide care.
Nearly 90% of schools have been affected—school buildings converted into shelters for displaced individuals have also sustained considerable damage, as the Israeli military accuses Hamas of using them as hideouts for fighters.
By April 1, 501 out of the 564 schools had been damaged—approximately 90% of all schools.
Among those 501 schools, 95 were severely impacted, while 406 suffered direct hits.
Nighttime light emission down by seven times
Prior to the onset of the current conflict, Gaza had an average power supply of 12 hours per day, according to data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
However, in 2024, the power grid remained offline throughout the day.
The sole electricity power plant in the region ceased operations during the first days of the conflict due to fuel shortages, compounded by the cutoff of electricity supplies from Israel.
These two energy sources met only 43% of Gaza’s needs before the war.
At night, the region is engulfed in darkness. An analysis conducted by the news agency on data from NASA’s Black Marble project, which measures light emissions from the Earth’s surface, revealed that from January to May 2025, nighttime light emissions in Gaza dropped to one-seventh of levels recorded in the five months before the conflict (from May to September). In Gaza City, nighttime light emissions decreased by a factor of 16.
Only the area along the Philadelphi Corridor, which spans approximately 13 kilometers along the border between Gaza and Egypt and is under Israeli military control, maintained a level of nighttime light emissions comparable to the period before the war.