Since withdrawing from a ceasefire with Hamas in March, Israel has systematically demolished vast areas across the Gaza Strip, razing entire neighborhoods once home to tens of thousands. Satellite imagery and verified footage reveal large-scale destruction in towns now under what Israel terms “operational control.”

Many demolitions involved not only bombed-out structures but also buildings that appeared largely intact. Video evidence shows Israeli forces carrying out controlled explosions on residential blocks, schools, and public infrastructure, releasing plumes of dust and debris across urban landscapes.

Legal experts speaking to BBC Verify have warned that such actions may constitute war crimes under the Geneva Convention, which generally prohibits the destruction of civilian property by an occupying force unless strictly required by military necessity.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) maintains it is operating within international law, stating that Hamas embeds military assets in civilian areas. According to the IDF, demolition is only conducted when there is an “imperative military necessity.”

Rafah: Ground Zero of Destruction

The southern city of Rafah, located near Egypt’s border, has borne the brunt of the demolition campaign. In recent weeks, large parts of the city have been flattened. Researchers Corey Scher and Jamon Van Den Hoek have identified Rafah as the area most heavily damaged since April.

Controlled demolitions using excavators, bulldozers, and explosives have erased entire districts. In July, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz proposed building a “humanitarian city” over the ruins of Rafah, intending to confine 600,000 Palestinians there. Critics widely condemned the idea, with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert comparing it to a “concentration camp.”

Destruction Verified Across Dozens of Locations

BBC Verify has documented verified demolition footage from 40 separate sites in Gaza since March. These demolitions are not limited to previously bombed areas — in many instances, they target relatively undamaged locations, such as schools and hospitals.

One striking example is Tel al-Sultan, a once-bustling neighborhood in Rafah. It housed the city’s only maternity hospital and a center for orphans. Satellite images from May showed significant damage, but many buildings remained. By July, most of the neighborhood was leveled — the maternity hospital being one of the few structures still standing.

Neighboring areas like the Saudi neighborhood — known for its mosque and schools — have met a similar fate. Footage shows tanks and bulldozers clearing what little remained.

Rural Areas Targeted Too

The destruction extends beyond cities. Khuza’a, a farming town near the Israeli border once known for its olive groves and greenhouses, has been virtually wiped off the map. Before the war, it had 11,000 residents. Satellite imagery shows it was largely intact in early May, but by mid-June, it was flattened. The IDF says it demolished 1,200 buildings there, labeling them part of “Hamas terror infrastructure.”

A similar pattern is seen in Abasan al-Kabira, a nearby town once home to 27,000 people. Images taken over just 38 days show wide-scale destruction and fresh tracks from military vehicles.

Satellite evidence also shows Qizan Abu Rashwan, an agricultural settlement 7km from the Israeli border, has been reduced to rubble. Controlled explosions have obliterated nearly every structure there, including residential blocks and a wedding hall.

Legal and Ethical Questions Mount

Despite repeated requests, the IDF has not provided specific military justifications for the locations demolished. Its official stance is that terrorist infrastructure is embedded in civilian areas and must be dismantled.

International law experts, however, challenge this explanation. Eitan Diamond of the Diakonia International Humanitarian Law Centre said that destruction of civilian property is only lawful under very strict conditions of immediate military necessity — not based on future concerns or speculations.

Professor Janina Dill, from the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law & Armed Conflict, said that destroying entire towns undermines the legal obligation of an occupying force to act for the benefit of the civilian population.

Still, some Israeli analysts argue the demolitions are necessary. Professor Eitan Shamir, a former Israeli official, claims that heavily damaged buildings pose safety risks and could be reoccupied by militants if left standing. He emphasized that the area remains an active war zone.

Bulldozers, Contractors, and Recruitment Ads

Israeli media recently reported that dozens of U.S.-made D9 bulldozers — previously withheld by the Biden administration — have arrived for use in Gaza. Meanwhile, BBC Verify found dozens of job postings from Israeli contractors on Facebook offering demolition work inside Gaza, often specifying locations like the “Philadelphi Corridor” and the “Morag Axis.”

One contractor, when contacted, replied dismissively: “Go [expletive] yourself, you and Gaza.”

The ads offer high wages, housing, food, and vehicle use to experienced operators — reflecting a well-organized campaign of physical erasure.

A Strategic Objective?

Analysts have proposed several possible motives behind the widespread destruction:

• Adil Haque from Rutgers Law School believes Israel may be creating a permanent “security zone” within Gaza.
• Others suggest the demolitions pave the way for the controversial “humanitarian city” plan in Rafah.
• Efraim Inbar, of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, speculates that the scale of devastation may be a tactic to encourage Palestinians to leave Gaza entirely.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told lawmakers that the IDF is deliberately leaving “nowhere to return to” for Palestinians.

“I Lost Everything”

For Gaza’s residents, the destruction has been catastrophic. Moataz Yousef Ahmed Al-Absi, a resident of Tel al-Sultan, said:

“I had just moved into my home a year before the war started, and I was incredibly happy with it. Now, it’s been completely destroyed. After losing everything, I no longer have a home or a shelter.”