SHAFAQNA- At least 42 percent of all housing units in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or damaged by Israeli air raids, according to the UN’s humanitarian office .
“About 15,100 housing units were destroyed, and 10,656 housing units were rendered uninhabitable,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a press statement sent to The New Arab.
“Moreover, 139,000 housing units were subjected to minor to moderate damage, pointing to the destruction of entire neighborhoods, especially in Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia, Shujaiya, the area between Gaza and the Beach refugee camp, and Abasan Kabira in Khan Yunis,” OCHA added.
The statement explained that an assessment of the North Gaza Governorate area, conducted by the United Nations Satellite Center, identified 927 destroyed buildings and 4,337 buildings that suffered moderate to severe damage, equivalent to about 15 percent of all buildings in that area.
The evaluation was based on comparing images collected on 15 October 2023 with those collected on 1 May 2023, according to OCHA.
OCHA stressed that Israel’s attacks have continued “unabated” at a time when the cumulative death toll has reached over 4,385 Palestinians, of whom 62 percent are children and women, while more than 1,000 Palestinian people have been reported missing and are presumed to be trapped or died under the rubble.