In July 2014, Israel launched operation “Protective Edge” in the Gaza Strip. Over the next 50 days, at least five Israeli civilians died, including one child, but far more Palestinians were affected by the continued fighting, which included bombardment by Israel and rocket fire from the Hamas-controlled Gaza region. At least 1,489 Palestinian civilians were killed, including over 500 children according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. After several broken agreements, the open-ended ceasefire agreed to on August 26 has held.
In an effort to assess the structural damage caused by the Israel’s offensive in Gaza this summer, the mapping arm of The United Nations Institute for Training and Research has released satellite maps showing before and after images of the region. Using images collected by the Pleiades satellite, the agency has identified:
6,769 destroyed structures
3,565 severely damaged structures
4,938 moderately damaged structures
7,473 craters on roads and other areas
