Satellite images show massive amounts of destruction in
several areas which Israel's military command claims to have under
"operational control".
Large swathes of it has been caused by planned demolitions,
both to already damaged buildings and ones that appeared largely intact.
Verified footage shows large explosions unleashing plumes of
dust and debris, as Israeli forces carry out controlled demolitions on tower
blocks, schools and other infrastructure.
Multiple legal experts told BBC Verify that Israel may have
committed war crimes under the Geneva Convention, which largely prohibits the
destruction of infrastructure by an occupying power.
An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson said it operated in accordance with
international law; that Hamas concealed "military assets" in civilian
areas, and that the "destruction of property is only performed when an
imperative military necessity is demanded".
The scale of destruction can be clearly seen in the city of Rafah, near the
border with Egypt.
In recent weeks, Israeli forces and contractors have levelled large swathes of
Rafah.
An analysis of damage by academics Corey Scher and Jamon Van Den Hoek found the
destruction in Gaza since April has been most concentrated in the region.
Controlled explosions, excavators and bulldozers have
obliterated whole areas.
In July, Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz outlined
plans to establish what he called a "humanitarian city" over the
ruins of Rafah, with an initial 600,000 Palestinians being confined there.
The plan has been widely condemned. Former Israeli Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert told the BBC that the proposal would be "interpreted
as being akin to a concentration camp".
Israel claims its military has "operational
control" over large areas of the Gaza Strip which are now militarized
zones or have been under evacuation orders.
BBC Verify has identified footage of infrastructure being
demolished in 40 locations since the ceasefire ended in March.
Tel al-Sultan was one of Rafah city's most vibrant
neighbourhoods. Its densely packed streets were home to Rafah's only
specialized maternity hospital and a centre caring for orphaned and abandoned
children.
Satellite images showed that much of the area had already
been heavily damaged by Israeli bombing and artillery fire, but dozens of
buildings had withstood the barrage.
By July 13 the destruction had escalated, with even the
shells of damaged buildings swept away and entire blocks torn to the ground.
The hospital is one of a handful of buildings left standing.
Similarly, demolitions are now under way in the adjacent
Saudi neighbourhood — once home to the city's largest mosque and several
schools.
One verified clip showed a tank moving along a street in
Rafah while a digger works by the side of the roadIsraeli demolitions are also
visible in other parts of the strip which appear to have avoided heavy damage
during earlier bombardments.
The farming town of Khuza'a is located about 1.5km (0.9
miles) from the Israeli border.
Before the war the town had a population of 11,000 people
and was known for its fertile farmlands and crops such as tomatoes, wheat and
olives.
By mid-June, Khuza'a was largely razed by the Israeli
forces.
The IDF says it demolished 1,200 buildings in Khuza'a, which
it alleged were part of "terror infrastructures" run by Hamas.
A similar story emerges in the nearby town of Abasan
al-Kabira, where about 27,000 people lived before the war. Photos taken on May 31
and July 08 indicate that an extensive area was swept away in just 38 days.
Israel has created extensive "security zones" and
corridors separating parts of Gaza, and has destroyed large numbers of
buildings along and near these routes. Its latest corridor separates western
from eastern Khan Younis, including Khuza'a and Abasan al-Kabira.
Since early in the war analysts have suggested that Israel
has been attempting to create deep "buffer zones" by destroying
buildings near to the border, but some of the areas flattened recently are deep
into Gaza.
