Satellite photos reveal Gaza villages, cemeteries and homes erased, replaced by Israeli bases
New satellite images show that graves, neighborhoods and an entire village in southern Gaza have vanished, with Israeli military outposts now occupying the sites.
Recent satellite photos added to Google Earth document that large areas of southern Gaza—including graves, residential districts and the former Swedish Village refugee settlement—have been wiped out and replaced by Israeli military installations. The images, captured on Feb 25 and uploaded in May, show the Sheikh Mohammed cemetery in Maan replaced by tents and armored vehicles, and Rafah’s Swedish Village reduced to five surviving houses amid a new outpost.
UN agencies confirm that over 97 percent of Gaza’s schools are damaged or destroyed and that less than five percent of its farmland remains viable, while 1.9 million Palestinians are internally displaced. Israeli forces now claim control of about 60 percent of the Gaza Strip, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has voiced a goal of reaching 70 percent. Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reports that 94 percent of Gaza’s cemeteries have been destroyed, highlighting the deepening humanitarian crisis despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
How the sides frame it
MODERATE AGREEMENTBoth camps highlight the extensive Gaza destruction shown in new satellite images, but left-leaning coverage emphasizes the data and scale of damage, while centrist coverage stresses the shocking visual impact and attributes the devastation to Israel's offensive.
LEFT
Frames the imagery as exposing the massive scale of physical devastation, underscored by UNOSAT damage statistics.
CENTER
Frames the imagery as a shocking visual proof of Israel's destructive military offensive.
The left emphasises
- scale of physical devastation
- UNOSAT estimates 82% of buildings damaged
- clear visuals as a stark representation of the situation
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