New Satellite Imagery Reveals Devastating Scale of Destruction Across Gaza After Years of Conflict

Newly updated Google Maps satellite imagery illustrates the profound scale of destruction across the besieged Gaza Strip nearly three years into Israel’s military campaign. With neighborhood after neighborhood reduced to rubble and only the faint outlines of main roads remaining, identifying distinct parts of Gaza has become nearly impossible. Farmland has been charred, and centuries-old places of worship have been severely damaged or completely erased from the landscape.

A recent assessment by the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) revealed that the number of destroyed structures across Gaza has risen by 9 percent since a ceasefire took effect nearly a year ago. According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), roughly 82 percent of all structures in Gaza—approximately 200,000 buildings—have sustained damage, with about two-thirds of those totally destroyed.

Utilizing satellite images recently published on Google Maps, Al Jazeera compared the state of Gaza before the conflict with its current condition, spanning from Rafah in the south to North Gaza. Images of Rafah were captured this year, while those for northern Gaza date from 2025 and 2024.

Tal as-Sultan, Rafah

Rafah, serving as Gaza’s southernmost city, acted as a major refuge for Palestinians displaced from across the territory. However, approximately one million residents were compelled to flee the region following the onset of Israeli military operations there in May 2024. Most had already endured multiple displacements, seeking refuge toward Khan Younis, located just north of Rafah, and Deir el-Balah in central Gaza as UNRWA shelters in Rafah emptied out.

In western Rafah, the once densely populated Tal as-Sultan neighborhood has been almost entirely obliterated, with satellite imagery showing little more than barren sand where homes previously stood.

Al-Mawasi, Rafah

Al-Mawasi, initially a sparsely populated coastal strip consisting of sand and farmland along the coast of the Rafah and Khan Younis governorates, was designated a humanitarian zone by Israel early in the war, directing displaced Palestinians to seek safety there. In May 2024, amid preparations for the invasion of Rafah, then-US President Joe Biden cautioned against the offensive. Despite this, operations proceeded, driving hundreds of thousands of additional individuals into al-Mawasi, which has since faced repeated bombings.

Current satellite images depict the previously empty area densely covered in tents and packed with families lacking alternative shelter.

Indonesian Istiqlal Mosque, Khan Younis

Khan Younis registered the highest count of damaged structures among all governorates in the UNOSAT October 2025 assessment, totaling 51,885 structures. As one of Gaza's primary agricultural hubs, Khan Younis also documented the largest total area of damaged cropland in the Gaza Strip. Within the Ma’an area of Khan Younis, the Indonesian Istiqlal Mosque was destroyed during the conflict less than two years after its reopening.

Port of Gaza, Gaza City

The Gaza governorate recorded the second-highest number of damaged structures in the October 2025 UNOSAT evaluation at 51,530, which includes 41,663 in Gaza City alone. Among the most severely impacted locations is the port of Gaza City, serving as the center of a fishing industry that previously supported roughly 110,000 people. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization reported that the port has suffered severe damage alongside the destruction of most of its fishing vessels.

Jabalia refugee camp, North Gaza

The North Gaza governorate experienced the highest proportion of damaged cropland in the Strip, reaching 94 percent by July 2025 according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Throughout the conflict, communities including Beit Lahiya and Jabalia in the north confronted recurrent military operations, forced displacements, and severe constraints on humanitarian aid. Jabalia refugee camp, recognized as the largest of Gaza’s eight camps, has been completely devastated, with satellite images revealing entire blocks reduced to rubble.

Since the conflict in Gaza commenced on October 7, 2023, more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 175,000 injured, with the actual figures likely higher due to individuals remaining missing under the rubble. Following the ceasefire last year, more than 1,400 people have been killed and nearly 5,000 injured.