The satellite images released by a US-based space technology firm have revealed the devastating impact of Israeli air raids on the Gaza Strip, post the October 7 Hamas attack.
The images shared by Maxar Technologies show significant damage to the cities including Izbat Beit Hanoun, Atatra and Al Shati Refugee Camp.
These telling images come as Israel continues to bombard Gaza. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said on Thursday that its fighter jets struck over 250 sites belonging to the Hamas terror in the Gaza Strip over the past day. The sites included Hamas infrastructure, command centres, tunnels and rocket launchers.
Before and after images of Gazan city of Beit Hanoun | Reuters via Maxar
Before and after images of Gazan city of Atatra | Reuters via Maxar
It added that Hamas had placed rocket launchers in the heart of civilian areas that fired toward Israeli territory throughout the war.
The IDF Navy forces also struck a Hamas surface-to-air missile launch position in Khan Younis. The missile launch site is "located adjacent to a mosque and kindergarten, which is further proof that Hamas deliberately uses civilian sites for terror purposes," said the IDF statement.
According to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, over 750 people were killed over Wednesday, higher than the 704 killed the previous day.
Ground raids
The IDF said it launched a brief ground raid into northern Gaza overnight into Thursday. The infantry forces and tanks ventured into the northern part of the strip. The raid led by the Givati infantry brigade was reportedly part of preparing the border area for the ground war. "Troops struck numerous terrorists, infrastructure, and anti-tank guided missile launch positions, and operated to prepare the battlefield," the IDF was quoted by The Times of Israel.
The forces struck several militant targets to "prepare the battlefield" and the soldiers returned to Israeli territory after the raid.
The Gaza Health Ministry says more than 6,500 Palestinians have been killed in the war. That figure includes the disputed toll from an explosion at a hospital last week. The fighting has killed more than 1,400 people in Israel, mostly civilians slain during the initial Hamas attack, according to the Israeli government. Hamas also holds some 222 hostages in Gaza.
