GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Israeli ground forces have carried out a series of controlled explosions in Gaza, in addition to the damage caused by the aerial offensive. The explosions have drastically changed the landscape, resulting in the destruction of numerous buildings, including mosques, schools, and residential neighborhoods.
Since November, at least 33 controlled demolitions have taken place, according to a New York Times analysis of Israeli military footage, social media videos, and satellite imagery. The Israeli military stated that these demolitions are aimed at “locating and destroying terror infrastructures embedded, among other things, inside buildings” in civilian areas.
However, most of the demolition locations identified occurred well outside the so-called buffer zone that Israel claims to be targeting. The number of confirmed demolitions represents only a portion of the actual number carried out by Israel since the war began.
Soldiers enter the targeted structures to place mines or other explosives, and then trigger the detonation from a safe distance. As a result, hundreds of buildings, homes, and institutions have been destroyed in this manner.
The large-scale controlled demolitions represent some of the single most destructive episodes of the conflict. Satellite analysis estimates that at least half of the buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed since the start of the war, with much of the damage coming from airstrikes and fighting.
In response to the demolitions, a State Department spokesman expressed concern that the creation of a buffer zone along Gaza’s border with Israel would violate Washington’s longstanding position against the reduction of territory in Gaza.
The demolitions have raised questions about the territory’s future after decades of displacement and war. For Palestinians, these controlled detonations are another symbol of loss and destruction, leading to concerns about the liveability and vitality of Gaza.