In 21 months of war in Gaza, the destruction and damage of 70 percent of buildings has buried the Palestinian territory under millions of tonnes of debris and plunged it into darkness, according to data from the UN and NASA analysed by AFP.

The Israeli army has relentlessly pounded the densely populated territory of 365 square kilometres (141 square miles) in retaliation for Hamas's 2023 attack, which sparked the war and resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

- 53 million tonnes of debris -

The Israeli military's campaign in Gaza has killed 59,219 people, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

The material damage has also been devastating: as of April 4, 2025, the Israeli campaign had destroyed 174,500 buildings, according to UNOSAT, the UN's satellite analysis service.

The debris from this destruction is estimated by UNOSAT at 53.5 million tonnes, approximately........

© Al Monitor