Israel is likely deliberately destroying entire residential areas in the Gaza Strip, but drug production could be the cause of the deadly explosion in Rotterdam

The soldiers count down: “Five, four, three, two, one.” Then there is a deafening explosion, thick clouds of smoke rise into the air. A soldier cheers.

According to research by the New York Times, these types of scenes have occurred more often in the Gaza Strip in recent months. Israeli soldiers should Hundreds of civilian buildings have been destroyed through controlled demolition to have. According to the report, this also includes mosques, schools and entire areas of civilian residential areas.

For its research, the New York Times evaluated more than thirty videos showing such explosions. This could be only a fraction of the actual destruction.

The soldiers enter the target buildings and plant mines or other explosives inside them. They then move to a safe distance to detonate the detonator from there. In most areas, soldiers actively clear the buildings in question in advance, the report said. However, during active combat operations this is often not possible. Citizens can also be in danger.

Israel wants to establish a ‘buffer zone’.

Israeli officials told the New York Times that the destruction was primarily intended to create a “buffer zone” along the border with the Gaza Strip. The aim of this is to prevent Hamas terrorists from carrying out another attack on Israel, such as on October 7, 2023. It is also intended to target the ‘terrorist infrastructure’ that could be located in the buildings. Officials explained that sometimes entire residential areas are “battle complexes” for the terrorist organization Hamas.

But as the paper claims to have discovered, most of the explosions did not occur along or within the buffer zone, but in places far away from it. In November, at least four multi-storey residential buildings collapsed near a hospital in Gaza City. In December, Israeli forces reportedly destroyed more than a dozen buildings around Palestine Square in central Gaza City.

According to an analysis by the UN Satellite Center (UNOSAT), almost every third building (about 30 percent) in the Gaza Strip has been destroyed or damaged in the past three months. UNOSAT presented its second evaluation on Friday. To do this, the center evaluated satellite images from January 6 and 7 and compared them with images from May, September, October and November 2023.

Up to 70 percent of the buildings have been destroyed or damaged

According to UNOSAT, more than 22,000 buildings of all kinds were destroyed, more than 14,000 seriously damaged and almost 33,000 slightly damaged. Nearly 94,000 homes have been affected. According to a BBC report this week, US universities City University of New York and Oregon State University gave significantly higher marks. According to the report, they said between 144,000 and 175,000 buildings were destroyed or damaged. Based on US intelligence information, the Wall Street Journal reported at the end of December that 70 percent of the buildings had already been destroyed or damaged.

The newspaper reported that Israel had dropped as many as 29,000 bombs on the Gaza Strip in mid-December. These air raids also caused widespread destruction. However, the New York Times writes that the controlled explosions were “some of the most destructive events” of the Israeli military operation on Palestinian territory. According to the armed forces, some processes are already being ‘reviewed’.

According to the New York Times, this includes the destruction of Israa University in mid-January. According to the Israeli army’s initial assessment, Hamas was using the building and its surroundings “for military activities.” Marco Sassòli, a professor of international law in Geneva, told the New York Times:

Such destruction may only be carried out if absolutely necessary for the military operation.

The Israeli army denies the accusations

The Israeli military defended itself against accusations that the buildings in question were not military targets. A spokesperson told the New York Times All decisions for military actions are based on “military necessity.” and would be carried out “in accordance with international law.”

According to the UN, 1.7 of the Gaza Strip’s approximately 2.2 million residents are displaced due to fighting and calls for evacuation by Israel. There are especially many in the city of Rafah, in the south of the coastal strip. According to the UN, they live in catastrophic conditions, sometimes in the open, without toilets and without sufficient food.

Although there is enough food and water at the border for the entire population in trucks, Israel does not grant entry permits to many convoys. Israel contradicts this representation. Continued fighting also prevented the extradition of hundreds of thousands of people.

(With material from the dpa press agency)