Gaza: Updated Google Maps satellite imagery has highlighted the extensive destruction across parts of the Gaza Strip, with severe damage visible in Rafah, Khan Younis and Gaza City.
The imagery shows roads passing through areas that previously contained densely populated neighbourhoods, while buildings are difficult to distinguish in several locations because of the scale of the destruction.
In Rafah, the Saudi neighbourhood in Tal Al-Sultan appears to have suffered extensive damage. The area previously included a housing project with hundreds of residential units. The former Swedish village has also sustained significant damage, with only a limited number of structures visible in the updated imagery.
Satellite views around Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City also show extensive destruction. Israeli forces withdrew from the medical complex on April 1, 2024, after a two-week operation there. A World Health Organization mission that reached the site days later reported extensive damage to emergency, surgical and maternity buildings and described the facility as an “empty shell.”
Google Maps markers for schools, mosques, parks and restaurants remain visible in some affected areas. However, the presence of these markers does not confirm that the corresponding structures are still standing.
Palestinian journalist Abubaker Abed also highlighted the updated satellite imagery on X, sharing views of areas he said he had previously visited.
UN assessments document widespread damage
The satellite imagery comes as United Nations assessments continue to record the scale of physical damage across Gaza.
A recent UNCTAD report said 92 per cent of Gaza’s economic establishments had been damaged or destroyed since October 2023. The report, published on September 24, 2026, estimated Gaza’s total recovery and reconstruction needs at $71.5 billion.
An earlier UN assessment based on satellite imagery found that more than 80 per cent of structures in Gaza had been damaged or destroyed. UNCTAD's February 2026 study, citing UN Satellite Centre assessments, recorded 198,273 damaged structures by October 2025.
Housing has been among the largest areas of damage. The latest UNCTAD assessment said housing represents the largest category of physical damage and reconstruction needs, while more than half of hospitals and primary healthcare clinics were non-functional.
The World Bank, European Union and United Nations assessment cited by UNCTAD estimated physical infrastructure damage at $35.2 billion and economic and social losses at $22.7 billion as of early 2026. Total recovery and reconstruction needs were estimated at $71.5 billion.
The Palestinian Health Ministry has reported tens of thousands of deaths and injuries since the outbreak of the war in October 2023. Figures from the ministry are reported by Palestinian authorities and are subject to the limitations of wartime casualty reporting.
