A complex and fragile agreement to stop fighting in Gaza has been achievedand hostilities are scheduled to end on Sunday – more than 15 months after the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
According to Gaza's Ministry of Health, more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 110,000 injured since the war began. The conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched an attack on Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage. In response, Israel launched a military campaign that devastated much of the Gaza Strip.
As a ceasefire approaches – the exact timing of which has not been confirmed – these maps and charts illustrate the extent of destruction in Gaza since the war began.
More than half of Gaza was damaged or destroyed
An analysis of satellite imagery by researchers at Oregon State University shows that since October 12, 2023, when the study began, approximately 59 percent of buildings in the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed. The most affected area is Gaza City and the surrounding Gaza Province, where 74 percent of buildings were damaged or destroyed by the war.
Human cost
According to the region's Ministry of Health, when the ceasefire was officially announced, the death toll in Gaza exceeded 46,000. However, due to the chaos of war, verifying the exact number of victims was difficult and required careful analysis.
Peer-reviewed study published in Lancet January 9 suggests that official figures may be significantly underestimated. On June 30, 2024, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported 37,877 deaths, while an academic study estimated the number to be around 64,200 by that date.
The UN Human Rights Office also commented on this death toll. A November 2024 report found that 70% of the fatalities were women and children.
Israel's main operations in Gaza
As a ceasefire approaches, data from the Institute for the Study of War provides insight into Israeli military operations in Gaza.
Map data shows major operations in the hardest-hit Gaza province. Many Israeli troops remain active in large parts of Rafah, a strategic region for Israel. One key area of concern is the Philadelphia Corridor, a narrow strip of land bordering Egypt. Israel sought to control the area to monitor crossings into Egypt. However, a Reuters report suggests that Israeli forces will withdraw from the corridor as part of the ceasefire agreement.
As part of the graduated ceasefire agreement, Israel agreed to withdraw from populated areas in a first phase, which is expected to last six weeks, and is expected to withdraw completely from the Gaza Strip in a second phase, the details of which have not yet been finalized.