About 82% of buildings in Gaza damaged or destroyed

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics has published a report on damage to housing and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, based on analyses by the UN Satellite Centre (UNOSAT). It says about 82% of buildings in the area have been damaged or completely destroyed as a result of Israeli military operations since October 2023.

The Operative Information Center-OMM reports that nearly 201,290 structures in Gaza were damaged between October 2023 and June 2026.

Of these, 134,422 buildings were completely destroyed and 13,848 sustained severe damage, the report says. A total of 328,627 residential housing units have been damaged. Most of the area’s population of more than 2 million has been displaced and forced to live in less than 40% of the Gaza Strip. The scale of destruction is also visible in updated satellite images on Google Earth. U.S. actress Angelina Jolie shared the images, drawing attention to the depth of the humanitarian disaster.

According to the report, 90% of Gaza’s civilian and social infrastructure has been put out of service. World Health Organization figures show that 82% of shelters face a water safety crisis, while 70% of the population has to get by on just 6 liters of water a day.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said that, despite nearly a year having passed since a ceasefire was declared, restrictions imposed by Israel on the entry of construction materials, including cement, timber and metal sheets, mean 1.65 million people — 300,000 families — will face a lack of shelter and heating as the coming winter approaches.