Erasing Geography and Memory.. Gaza Aggression Leaves 50 Million Tons of Rubble and Destroys 90% of Urban Areas

The Israeli war machine did not only target military installations, but extended to completely affect the human and geographical existence in the Gaza Strip. Field data indicates that entire residential neighborhoods have disappeared from the map, and vital cities have turned into areas of nothingness and featureless rubble.

Beit Hanoun, located in the far north of the Strip, is the clearest example of the scorched-earth policy adopted by the occupation. Despite its small area, the city was subjected to systematic destruction that affected all its vital facilities and infrastructure, making it uninhabitable in the foreseeable future.

The displaced Abu Raed Al-Masry, who was forcibly displaced from Beit Hanoun to Khan Yunis, recounts the bitterness of loss that extended beyond the walls of his home to include his entire neighborhood. Sources reported that the city, which was famous for its lush citrus groves, has been transformed by bulldozers and shells into a barren desert lacking the slightest elements of greenery or life.

This destruction was not random or accidental, but was characterized by organization and comprehensiveness to ensure the complete collapse of the urban system. The raids targeted main streets, mosques, and schools, in a clear attempt to erase the landmarks that constitute the visual and social identity of the Strip's residents.

For his part, cultural heritage expert Hamouda Al-Dahdar believes that what is happening goes beyond demolishing concrete walls to reach the depth of identity and collective memory. He explained in statements to media sources that the occupation seeks to sever the relationship of future Palestinian generations with their land by destroying historical landmarks and spatial belonging.

This destructive policy is consistent with forced displacement plans that target the Palestinian presence at its historical roots. The removal of buildings and landmarks is not merely a military act, but an attempt to erase an entire society from its natural space and strip it of its history associated with those places.

On the legal front, human rights activists confirm that targeting cities in this manner constitutes a major crime affecting the right to housing and human existence. Human rights activist Nasser Moussa pointed out that international reports, including the deliberations of the International Court of Justice, have agreed on the existence of genocidal dimensions in these practices.

Moussa stressed that wiping cities off the map does not achieve direct military objectives, but falls under the internationally prohibited collective punishment. This behavior aims to impose a tragic reality that prevents Palestinians from restoring their normal lives or holding on to their land, which has been bulldozed and erased.

With the cessation of military operations, Gaza revealed an unprecedented urban catastrophe in modern history, with over 90% of buildings destroyed. Cities that were bustling with life have become vast areas of rubble and debris covering enormous distances of the afflicted Strip.

International organizations estimate the volume of rubble in Gaza at over 50 million tons, a figure that reflects the enormous challenge facing reconstruction efforts. This amount of rubble is considered one of the largest environmental and urban disasters the world has witnessed in the 21st century.

Talking about the future of Gaza is no longer limited to rebuilding homes, but extends to the necessity of restoring a living entity that has been completely dismantled. The challenge facing Palestinians today requires decades of continuous work to restore infrastructure and erase the effects of the 'spatial genocide' policy they have been subjected to.

The city has been completely destroyed multiple times, and its groves have been bulldozed, turning today into a barren land resembling a desert.