Gaza has been devastated by 15 months of conflict

Eleven hours earlier.

Eardley, Nick, and Murphy.

BBC Verify.

In Qatar, a ceasefire agreement has been reached to end the 15-month-long conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Since Hamas’s shocking October 2023 attack, which claimed roughly 1,200 lives and left 251 more hostage, Israel has maintained that it will not accept a ceasefire until it has finished its military operations in the region.

Massive devastation has occurred in Gaza, with enormous humanitarian consequences. According to the health ministry run by Hamas, Israel’s military action has killed over 46,000 Palestinians, and airstrikes have destroyed a good deal of infrastructure throughout the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military maintains that it has focused its attacks on Hamas fighters in Gaza and has made every effort to prevent or minimize civilian casualties. In retaliation for Israeli operations, Hamas has fired rockets at Israel.

The scope of the devastation caused by a conflict that has ravaged Gaza has been examined by BBC Verify.

both fatalities and injuries.

According to Gaza health officials, they have tallied the number of deaths, which stands at 46,788, including those reported by family members and those documented in hospitals.

Women, children, and the elderly made up 59% of the identified victims as of October 7, 2024, according to the ministry’s records; however, a UN analysis in November revealed that the percentage for women and children could reach 70%.

110,453 Palestinians have been hurt in the conflict, according to the health ministry, and 25% of those injured have life-altering injuries, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report released on January 3.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) coordinator Karin Huster told BBC Verify that the Gaza health system has “immense” obstacles in its efforts to “adequately manage all those injured patients over the long-term.”.

According to a recent study published in the Lancet medical journal, the death toll may be much higher than the ministry’s reported numbers.

The IDF reported that it had killed 17,000 Hamas fighters as of September 2024, although the health ministry’s death toll does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. It hasn’t disclosed how it arrived at that number.

hospital facilities and infrastructure.

Infrastructure in Gaza has suffered extensive and serious damage as a result of the conflict. A Jabalia neighborhood both prior to the conflict and last week is depicted in the verified image below.

Scholars Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University and Corey Scher of the CUNY Graduate Center have been examining the extent of damage in Gaza using satellite imagery. As of January 11, their most recent analysis estimated that 59% of the buildings in the Gaza Strip had been destroyed or damaged since the war began.

Infrastructure damage since the beginning of the conflict is depicted on the map below. Urban areas saw the brunt of Israeli bombing, with some infrastructure suffering repeated hits.

At the beginning of December, 69 percent of all structures were either destroyed or damaged, according to a higher estimate from the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT). Additionally, the UN determined that 68% of the strip’s road network was either destroyed or severely damaged.

In and around important medical facilities, there have been multiple instances of damage. According to the UN, half of hospitals are closed and the remaining ones are only partially operational, which means that many of the hospitals that are still open are unable to treat complex injuries and chronic illnesses.

Israel has accused Hamas of operating in and around hospitals in the past, but the UN estimates that 1,060 medical workers have been killed, and international organizations like the WHO have criticized the lack of protection for medical facilities and health workers.

With the UN estimating that one million children require mental health care, Save the Children told BBC Verify that Gaza’s only inpatient psychiatric hospital and six public community mental health centers are also no longer operational.

Ms. Huster told BBC Verify that specialized medical services are currently lacking in both specialized medical equipment and qualified practitioners.

Israeli strikes continue ahead of a ceasefire in Gaza, killing dozens.

What we know about the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

Bowen: The conflict won’t end even though a ceasefire might stop the killing.

Significant damage has also been done to educational facilities; according to the IDF, they have hit school buildings 49 times since mid-July while pursuing Hamas fighters.

We have verified footage from such strikes on 13 sites since the beginning of December. Usually, these locations ceased to be schools and were converted into shelters, but the damage will make it difficult to resume regular education in Gaza.

Hundreds of water and sanitation facilities were either destroyed or severely damaged following Israel’s military action, as reported by the BBC.

One of the biggest challenges in the upcoming years will be rebuilding infrastructure, including public buildings and residential areas. The UN calculated in May that rebuilding the strip might cost $40 billion.

vast displacement in Gaza.

Ninety percent of Gaza’s population, or 11.9 million people, have been internally displaced, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. People have relocated multiple times from one location to another.

Since the start of the conflict, BBC Verify has been keeping an eye on evacuation orders in Gaza. Since Israel has been conducting strikes throughout Gaza and issuing orders for mass evacuation of large residential areas, nearly all of the 21.3 million residents of Gaza have been forced to leave their homes.

The map below depicts the vast majority of the strip that has been under IDF evacuation orders since the conflict began. About 90% of northern Gaza was under evacuation orders between October and late November, according to a recent analysis, while Israel conducted major operations there.

Numerous strikes have occurred even inside the “humanitarian zone” where the IDF advised Palestinians to relocate for safety.

The way that Al-Mawasi, which is in the humanitarian zone, has changed shows how displacement has affected Gaza. The below image shows the same area before the war – and at the start of January. Thousands of tents and makeshift buildings now occupy the former vacant agricultural land.

shortages of aid for months.

According to UN estimates, 91 percent of people have experienced severe food insecurity. Following recent operations in northern Gaza, the IPC, a group that collaborates with governments, nonprofits, and agencies, has determined that famine thresholds may have been reached there.

Agricultural land damage is one of the difficulties. According to UN agencies, vehicle tracks, shelling, and other “conflict-related pressures” had damaged 67.6% of cropland in September.

The UN-compiled figures show that the amount of aid entering Gaza has significantly decreased in recent months. 500 truckloads of aid were delivered to Gaza every working day on average prior to the conflict.

Since October 2023, that number has been declining and has not increased.

Assistance does not always reach its destination in Gaza, even when it does arrive. As law and order collapsed, aid workers issued warnings about criminal gangs stealing supplies and intercepting aid deliveries.

About 10.9 million people, according to UN estimates, are in need of emergency housing and basic household necessities.

The ceasefire will probably facilitate the delivery of aid to Gaza, but how to rebuild the strip will be the next challenge. It might take Gazans more than ten years to recover from the devastating 15 months of war.

Paul Brown and Benedict Garman provided additional reporting.