The Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have escalated significantly following the events of October 7, 2023. This shift has moved from targeted strikes to a comprehensive “urban demolition” approach, affecting large portions of Gaza City and northern Gaza. This drastic change in the nature of warfare is not solely confined to military conflict but also seeks to dismantle essential components of civil life and local governance, leading to unprecedented catastrophic outcomes.
On Sunday, the government media office in Gaza announced that 90% of the Gaza Strip has been completely destroyed following two years of conflict with Israel.
According to the media office, 80% of the territory is now under Israeli control due to “invasion and displacement,” with Israel having dropped over 200,000 tons of explosives on Gaza since the start of hostilities.
Two satellite images captured the state of Gaza City on September 27, 2023, just weeks before Hamas launched its sudden attack on Israel. In response, Israel began its military campaign against Gaza, resulting in the deaths of over 66,000 people, displacing millions, and destroying the Palestinian enclave.
The second image, taken on September 11, 2025, reveals the extensive devastation suffered by the region nearly two years into the conflict.
Israeli forces have employed a multi-faceted strategy to achieve this level of destruction, marked by intense aerial and artillery bombardments. Palestinian sources reported that more than 200,000 tons of explosives have been used, wiping out entire residential blocks in key neighborhoods such as Sheikh Radwan and al-Nasr.
This bombardment was complemented by the use of giant military bulldozers during ground incursions, which demolished road networks and crucial infrastructure, transforming formerly crowded areas into landscapes of debris.
Statistics highlight the magnitude of the existential disaster facing the Gaza Strip. The government media office reported that approximately 90% of all buildings and facilities have suffered destruction.
Estimates indicate that over 70% of structures are now uninhabitable, with more than 190,000 buildings either partially or completely damaged.
Vital facilities have also fallen into disrepair, systematically; around 95% of schools in the region have been impacted, and at least 835 mosques have either been destroyed or damaged, leading to a complete dismantling of the social, educational, and religious infrastructure.
However, the material destruction reflects only a small part of a broader strategy aimed at redefining the geography of Gaza and entrenching control over it.
The Washington Post revealed that the Israeli Army has effectively worked on creating the strategic “Netzarim Corridor.”
This corridor, approximately four miles long, stretches from east to west and is specifically designed to separate the northern areas of the Strip from the southern regions, aligning with a plan to “divide the territory into two parts” as previously outlined in occupation schemes.
Military analysts and Israeli experts have expressed to the publication that the Netzarim Corridor is part of an extensive project aimed at reshaping the Strip and solidifying Israeli military presence, despite officials frequently asserting that there are no plans for permanent occupation following the 2005 withdrawal.
Nevertheless, satellite images showing the establishment of three new military bases within the corridor since March suggest a clear Israeli agenda for indefinite security control, which has been echoed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
An analysis conducted by the Hebrew University determined that at least 750 buildings were demolished to create a “buffer zone” on either side of the corridor itself.
This corridor not only obstructs efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza but also grants the Israeli army unparalleled flexibility in controlling the territory.
From a military standpoint, the corridor enables rapid deployment and control. Civilly, it imposes strict supervision over aid flow and limits the movement of displaced Palestinians between the north and south, ensuring that residents cannot return to northern Gaza, as confirmed by reports from Israeli newspaper Maariv.
As noted by Amir Aviv, a retired brigadier general and former deputy commander of the Gaza Division, this step reflects a broader aim of the operation: “complete freedom to operate throughout Gaza,” and continues previous plans to fragment Gaza into manageable cantons, as reported by Yedioth Ahronoth under the headline “Encirclement and Division in Gaza.”
Ultimately, this dual strategy—comprehensive destruction of 90% of civil infrastructure followed by geographic division through the Netzarim Corridor—has dismantled any form of local governance, forced population displacement, and exacerbated the suffering of Palestinians by hindering the delivery of aid.
This urban demolition, paired with geographic control via the corridor, frames the crisis within its deeper legal context as a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and poses a serious threat to any potential stable Palestinian entity in the Strip.