Israel’s scorched earth campaign leaves Gaza in ruins. Israel-Palestine conflict news

Palestinians in Gaza face an apocalyptic scenario of devastation after a ceasefire that has stopped more than 15 months of Israeli attacks on the besieged territory.

Across Gaza, where constructed refugee camps are scattered between cities, piles of debris stretch as far as the eye can see.

Critics say Israel has waged a scorched-earth campaign to destroy the fabric of life in Gaza, charges that are being considered in two global courts, including the crime of genocide.

International rights groups said the massive destruction was part of a broader pattern of extermination and genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, a charge Israel denies. The groups dispute Israel’s stance that the destruction was the result of military activity.

UN assessments from satellite imagery showed that by December 1, 2024, more than 60,000 structures in Gaza had been destroyed and more than 20,000 seriously damaged in the fighting.

Israel also created a buffer zone about a kilometer inside Gaza from its fence, as well as within the Netzarim Corridor, which divides northern Gaza from the south, and along the Philadelphia Corridor, Gaza’s border with Egypt. An expanse of land with.

In these areas the land was leveled on a large scale.