Gazans will return to a shattered city after Israel leveled its high-rises

"Some of the most dramatic changes took place just since the start of last month, when Israel's military launched a push to occupy Gaza City, and Israeli bombardment punched large holes in its skyline by repeatedly demolishing high-rise buildings containing hundreds of homes and businesses. July 2023 Gaza City's skyline in July 2023, three months before the war began. (Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images)Many of those towers had sprung up after Israeli forces withdrew from Gaza three decades ago. And over the years, the skyline had come to represent the fortunes of a city still struggling under an Israeli blockade but no longer under direct occupation. Demand for housing construction had soared as Gazans returned to the enclave from abroad and young couples enlarged their families. With the construction boom came new restaurants, cafes and entertainment venues within the city and along the coastline."

"Israel has said that the high-rises were legitimate military targets because Hamas used them to deploy "intelligence-gathering systems, cameras, sniper and anti-tank firing positions, and in some structures established observational command rooms and command-and-control compounds." In response to a request for specific evidence of Hamas activities in the demolished buildings, the Israeli military did not provide details. The United Nations has said Israel was barred from destroying property it controls unless "absolutely necessary for military operations" and cited the destruction of high-rise buildings and residential apartment blocks as part of the evidence that a U.N. commission reviewed in concluding that Israel has committed genocide in the Ga"

A ceasefire will allow tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to Gaza City, which has been profoundly transformed by recent conflict. Israeli military operations launched a push to occupy Gaza City and repeatedly demolished high-rise buildings, creating large gaps in the skyline and destroying hundreds of homes and businesses. Many towers had been built after Israeli forces withdrew three decades earlier, driven by a construction boom as Gazans returned and families grew, bringing new restaurants, cafes and coastal entertainment. Israel asserts some towers were used for Hamas military purposes, while the United Nations says destruction of property must be strictly necessary and cites the demolitions in its review.

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