Updated satellite imagery shows scale of destruction across Gaza

Newly updated satellite imagery available on Google Maps shows extensive destruction across the Gaza Strip nearly three years into the Israel-Hamas war, with neighbourhoods transformed and large areas of farmland and civilian infrastructure damaged.

An analysis found that imagery of Rafah in southern Gaza was captured in 2026, while some imagery from northern Gaza dates to 2025 and 2024. In Khuza’a, east of Khan Younis, images from August 2023 showed homes, greenhouses, and orchards along major roads. Imagery from January 2026 shows rubble, cleared land, and rows of tents.

In Rafah, imagery from August 2023 showed dense housing and greenhouses, while images from February 2026 show much of the housing reduced to rubble, with greenhouses gone and the area marked by dirt tracks and earthworks.

The visual record comes alongside the latest UN satellite assessment, which found that 201,290 structures, about 82% of all structures in Gaza, had sustained damage as of June 16, 2026. Of these, 134,422 were classified as destroyed, while 13,848 were severely damaged, 28,096 moderately damaged, and 24,924 possibly damaged. The assessment also estimated that 328,627 housing units had been damaged.

The number of destroyed structures was 9% higher than in UNOSAT’s October 2025 assessment, while the total number of affected structures increased by 1.5%.

A separate FAO-UNOSAT assessment found that only 3% of Gaza’s cropland remained both accessible and undamaged as of June 24, 2026. UNCTAD reported that 92% of Gaza’s economic establishments had been damaged or destroyed since October 2023.

Foreign journalists have faced restrictions on independent access to Gaza, making satellite imagery and remote-sensing data important sources for documenting changes on the ground.