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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Lee Keath and Wafaa Shurafa

Satellite photos show how Israeli forces have erased Gaza towns

Israel Palestinians Gaza - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

It’s perhaps the most dramatic wound inflicted on the Gaza Strip by Israel’s military campaign over the past three years: The city of Rafah, once home to a quarter million people, has been erased.

Satellite imagery shows the Israeli military has systematically razed the southern city and other towns and districts to the ground and in some places plowed away the rubble. Demolition, using bulldozers and explosives, has continued unabated since the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal reached a year ago, as the military solidifies its hold over the around 60% of the territory that it still controls.

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