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Maps: Tracking the Attacks in Israel and Gaza [1]
['Lauren Leatherby', 'Karen Yourish', 'Elena Shao', 'Eli Murray', 'Scott Reinhard', 'Josh Holder']
Date: 2023-10-07
Maps: Tracking the Attacks in Israel and Gaza
Deadliest period for Palestinians in the West Bank in 15 years
More Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in the past few weeks than in any similar period in at least the past 15 years, according to Palestinian health authorities and historical data from the United Nations.
Israeli forces and settlers have killed 95 Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank since the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, health officials said, a surge in violence in what was already a particularly deadly year in the West Bank. One Israeli soldier was also killed in clashes.
Palestinians killed in the West Bank 250 killed Since Oct. 7 200 Before Oct. 7 150 100 2008 2011 2014 2017 2020 2023 Palestinians killed in the West Bank 50 100 150 200 250 2023 Before Oct. 7 Since Oct. 7 2020 2017 2014 2011 2008 Sources: U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (historical figures), Palestinian Health Ministry in the West Bank (figures since Oct. 7).
Most of the Palestinian deaths in the West Bank have been in clashes with Israeli forces, while others were the result of settler attacks.
Masked settlers shot and killed three Palestinians in the village of Qusra on Oct. 11, according to Palestinian health officials. At a funeral procession for the victims the next day, settlers attacked again, killing two more Palestinians, a father and son.
Where Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank in the past week west bank Jenin refugee camp Two Palestinians killed by an Israeli airstrike on a mosque on Oct. 22 israel Nur Shams refugee camp Mediterranean Sea Jamma’in West Bank Shuqba Two Palestinian teenagers killed Tel Aviv Budrus Dura al Qara jordan israel Jerusalem Al Aroub refugee camp Dead Sea gaza 10 miles west bank Jenin refugee camp Two Palestinians killed by an Israeli airstrike on a mosque on Oct. 22 israel Nur Shams refugee camp Jamma’in Shuqba Two Palestinian teenagers killed West Bank Budrus Dura al Qara Jerusalem israel Al Aroub refugee camp Dead Sea 10 miles Source: Palestinian Health Ministry in the West Bank (figures since Oct. 17)
The Israeli military carried out a rare airstrike in the West Bank on a mosque in Jenin on Saturday night, killing two. Israel’s military said it was targeting a “terror compound” beneath the mosque that it said was being used to organize an attack.
A raid by Israeli forces on the Nur Shams refugee camp on Thursday ended in the deaths of 13 Palestinians, including five children, as well as an Israeli soldier. The soldier was the first Israeli to have died in the West Bank since Oct. 7, according to U.N. data.
“We are extremely alarmed by the rapidly deteriorating human rights situation in the occupied West Bank and the increase in unlawful use of lethal force,” said Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the U.N. human rights chief, Volker Türk.
— Lauren Leatherby and Josh Holder
Intensifying clashes on the Israel-Lebanon border
As Israeli forces prepare for a possible ground invasion of Gaza, frequent clashes along Israel’s northern border have amplified fears of a broader conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia backed by Iran.
Reported attacks and fighting since Tuesday Area where evacuations were ordered
Sources: Israeli Defense Forces; Lebanon’s official National News Agency Some reported incidents did not have enough information to be mapped. The New York Times
Israeli authorities said on Sunday that they planned to evacuate 14 additional villages near the Lebanese border. The announcement was an expansion of an earlier evacuation order for communities in the area amid intensifying skirmishes between Hezbollah and Israeli troops.
Hezbollah has increased its attacks aimed at northern Israel in recent days, and Israel has retaliated in southern Lebanon. But it is not possible to attribute all of the reported clashes individually to one side or the other.
Reported attacks and fighting by day Area where evacuations were ordered
Oct. 17 Oct. 18 Oct. 19 Oct. 20 Oct. 21 Oct. 22 Sources: Israeli Defense Forces; Lebanon’s official National News Agency Base map from Mapbox and OpenStreetMap. Some reported incidents did not have enough information to be mapped. The New York Times
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said on Sunday that he did not know whether Hezbollah would join the conflict, but said it would result in “devastating consequences to Hezbollah and the state of Lebanon” if it did.
Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s deputy chief, said on Saturday that the clashes near the border were keeping Israeli troops tied down in the north instead of leaving them free to deploy against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
— Molly Cook Escobar, Elena Shao and Charlie Smart
First aid trucks move through Rafah crossing as southern Gaza is pummeled by strikes
The first convoy of aid trucks moved through the Rafah crossing on Saturday at Gaza’s southern border with Egypt. The convoy of 20 trucks came after days of intense negotiations.
Satellite imagery from Tuesday showed crowds in Gaza waiting at the gate, aid trucks stuck in Egypt and several craters where U.N. officials said Israeli strikes had damaged the road.
1,000 feet Crowds waiting at gate EGYPT GAZA Strike craters Rafah crossing Gate Additional fencing Humanitarian aid trucks waiting along road 1,000 feet Crowds waiting at gate EGYPT GAZA Strike craters Rafah crossing Gate Additional fencing apparent on satellite Humanitarian aid trucks waiting along road Source: Planet Labs
The convoy of aid, which the World Health Organization warned would “barely begin to address the escalating health needs” in Gaza, comes as conditions have further deteriorated in southern Gaza. With clean drinking water in short supply, many Gazans have resorted to drinking polluted water.
The Israeli military has intensified strikes throughout the region over the past week, despite ordering the entire population of northern Gaza to relocate to the south last Friday.
Israel has hit dozens of targets in the south since Oct. 13, according to The Times’s reporting, news imagery and WAFA, the official news agency of the Palestinian Authority — a rival of Hamas that administers parts of the Israel-occupied West Bank. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said on Thursday that at least 81 Palestinians had been killed in southern Gaza in the previous 24 hours.
Structures in southern Gaza reported damaged or destroyed since Oct. 13 Damage seen in satellite analysis, Oct. 12–17 Refugee camp
Area of evacuation Nuseirat 2 houses 1 apartment building 1 mosque 1 bakery 1 market 2 other buildings WEST BANK Wadi Gaza Gaza Strip Bureij 1 residential building Israel Az Zawayda 1 house Maghazi 1 school Deir al Balah 16 houses Salah Al-Din ISRAEL Mediterranean Sea GAZA Evacuation route Bani Suheila 2 houses Khan Younis 19 houses 1 apartment building 8 other residential buildings 1 school Rafah 9 houses 1 apartment building 3 other residential buildings 1 charitable organization 1 other building No-access zone Rafah crossing EGYPT N 5 miles Nuseirat 2 houses 1 apartment building 1 mosque 1 bakery 1 market 2 other buildings Area of evacuation WEST BANK Gaza Strip Israel Bureij 1 residential building Az Zawayda 1 house Maghazi 1 school Deir al Balah 16 houses Salah Al-Din ISRAEL Med. Sea Evacuation route GAZA Bani Suheila 2 houses Khan Younis 19 houses 1 apartment building 8 other residential buildings 1 school Rafah 9 houses 1 apartment building 3 other residential buildings 1 charitable organization 1 other building EGYPT Rafah crossing N 5 miles Source: Damage analysis of Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data by Corey Scher of CUNY Graduate Center and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University. Note: Labels show structures damaged or destroyed between Oct. 13 and Oct. 20, according to news reports, photo and video. Red areas show damage according to satellite analysis using data from Oct. 12 through Oct. 17.
Gazan authorities also reported Israeli airstrikes throughout the week in the southern areas of Khan Younis and Rafah, as well as Deir al Balah in central Gaza, which also falls below the evacuation zone. In photos and videos, many children appeared to be among those killed. Gazan authorities have also reported that at least 21 members of the same family died in one Israeli strike.
Israeli strikes in southern Gaza since evacuation order A home in Deir al Balah was struck on Oct. 15 Mohammed Faeq/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images The Nuseirat refugee camp was struck on Oct. 16 Hatem Moussa/Associated Press A residential building in Khan Younis was struck on Oct. 17 Yousef Masoud for The New York Times The Rafah refugee camp was struck on Oct. 17 Fatima Shbair/Associated Press The Bureij refugee camp was struck on Oct. 18 Hatem Moussa/Associated Press A strike left a large crater in Khan Younis on Oct. 19 Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images
About one million Gazans have been displaced from their homes since the beginning of the conflict, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, some 367,500 in central and southern Gaza. While the exact number and location of internally displaced people who evacuated from the north is unclear, satellite imagery and photos show that, in at least one instance, tents were erected in the past week in the courtyard of a U.N.-run vocational training center.
Khan Younis Training College Tents Gaza Strip Tents 500 feet A satellite image of tents in the courtyard of a U.N. training center on Oct. 20. Source: Planet Labs The tents in the courtyard as photographed Oct. 19. Photo by Haitham Imad/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Scores of U.S. citizens and Palestinians with foreign passports have been waiting at the border with suitcases, trash bags and other belongings in the hope of receiving permission to leave Gaza. It remains unclear if or when they will be permitted to do so.
The Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing has been crowded with people waiting to leave. Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters
— Lauren Leatherby, Karen Yourish, Scott Reinhard, Eleanor Lutz, Agnes Chang, and Leanne Abraham
How Israel is preparing for an invasion
The Israeli military has outlined plans to launch a ground invasion of Gaza soon, with tens of thousands of soldiers ordered to capture Gaza City and wipe out the top leadership of Hamas. Here’s how Israel is preparing for the invasion.
Israel deployed hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles to two fields north of Gaza, which could be seen in satellite imagery captured earlier this week.
1 2 1 2 1 2 Source: Planet Labs Imagery from Oct. 15
The sites are not a secret: Photographers have been allowed access to the vehicles, which arrived at the site sometime between Oct. 8 and Oct. 14, according to imagery from Planet Labs.
Photographs taken at the same location on Saturday show a range of armored vehicles, including Merkava tanks, armored personnel carriers and militarized bulldozers.
Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times
The military buildup seen in these images is about four miles north of the Erez Crossing, the primary entry point on Gaza’s northern border. The Erez Crossing has remained closed since Israeli forces recaptured it following its seizure by Hamas fighters on Oct. 7.
Ashkelon Fields where tanks have massed 2 1 Erez Sderot Erez crossing WEST BANK Gaza Strip Israel Jabaliya Mediterranean Sea Gaza City Netivot ISRAEL GAZA N 5 miles Ashkelon Fields where tanks have massed 2 1 Erez WEST BANK Erez crossing Gaza Strip Israel Med. Sea Gaza City ISRAEL N GAZA 5 miles
While an exact accounting of every part of Israel’s buildup is not possible, Israeli tanks have also been seen in other locations. Tanks and armored vehicles were photographed on Oct. 14 at a repair center near Be’eri, about two miles north of the site of the music festival Hamas attacked.
Ahead of the ground invasion, Israel has demanded that the entire population of northern Gaza — some 1.1 million people — evacuate to the southern half of the territory. But many people are unable to move, and on Tuesday Israel said it had intensified its bombing in cities in southern Gaza, leading some Palestinians to consider returning home.
— Josh Holder
An updated look at where Israel has hit Gaza
An updated analysis of satellite imagery shows areas in Gaza that have been significantly damaged in the first 11 days of Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes.
Northern Gaza has continued to receive the brunt of the attacks in recent days, as airstrikes pummeled large parts of Beit Hanoun and the regions near Rimal and Al Jadidah. Strikes also inflicted more damage on the Shati and Jabaliya refugee camps, both of which were previously hit in the earliest days of the war.
The majority of the damage is concentrated in northern Gaza Damage since October 12 Older damage
West Bank Gaza Strip Beit Hanoun Israel Beit Lahiya Jabaliya GAZA Med. Sea Refugee camp Al Jadidah Rimal Gaza City ISRAEL Salah Al-Din N Al Mughraqa 1 mile Wadi Gaza Bureij Nuseirat Beit Hanoun Beit Lahiya GAZA ISRAEL Jabaliya Refugee camp Al Jadidah Gaza Strip West Bank Rimal Gaza City Israel Salah Al-Din Med. Sea Juhor ad Dik N Al Mughraqa 2 miles Wadi Gaza Nuseirat Sources: Damage analysis of Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data by Corey Scher of CUNY Graduate Center and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University; satellite image from Copernicus Note: Data is of Gaza through Oct. 17 at 6:49 p.m. in Gaza and Israel. By The New York Times
Areas along the Salah Al-Din Road, one of two major routes used by Gazans escaping to the southern part of the territory, were also significantly damaged. Dozens of civilians were killed by strikes as they attempted to flee south, according to the Interior Ministry in Gaza.
On Friday, Israeli officials warned 1.1 million civilians living in northern Gaza to evacuate to the south for their own safety, even as Israeli forces intensified bombings in the southern cities of Khan Younis and Rafah. Pockets of Abasan al-Kabira and Khuza’a were also damaged, along with parts of the Nuseirat, Bureij and Rafah refugee camps.
The Israeli military has said that its airstrikes have targeted command centers, operatives and hide-outs that belong to Hamas, including “terror targets” in Khan Younis and Rafah.
Southern Gaza has also experienced extensive damage Damage since October 12 Older damage
Wadi Gaza Bureij Nuseirat Maghazi Al Musaddar Deir al Balah West Bank Gaza Strip Israel Wadi as Salqa Al Qarara As Sureij Bani Suheila Abasan al-Kabira Khuza'a Khan Younis Salah Al-Din Al Fukhkhari Umm Kameil Umm al Kilab Al Mawasi Tal as Sultan Shokat as Sufi Rafah EGYPT N 1 mile Wadi Gaza Nuseirat Maghazi Al Musaddar Gaza Strip West Bank Deir al Balah Israel Wadi as Salqa As Sureij Al Qarara Bani Suheila Khan Younis Salah Al-Din Khuza'a Al Fukhkhari Umm Kameil Umm al Kilab Al Mawasi Tal as Sultan Shokat as Sufi Rafah EGYPT N 2 miles Sources: Damage analysis of Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data by Corey Scher of CUNY Graduate Center and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University; satellite image from Copernicus Note: Data is of Gaza through Oct. 17 at 6:49 p.m. in Gaza and Israel. By The New York Times
Living conditions have deteriorated rapidly in southern Gaza as food, clean water and other essential supplies dwindle. On Wednesday, President Biden announced that Egypt would allow 20 trucks of humanitarian aid into Gaza as a test to see if a more sustained flow can begin.
The analysis does not yet show the damage to the Ahli Arab Hospital campus in Gaza City, where hundreds of people were killed in an explosion on Tuesday evening that Israeli officials and Palestinian fighters each blamed on the other.
— Elena Shao and Leanne Abraham
The aftermath of the hospital explosion in Gaza
Daylight Wednesday made clear the scale of the explosion at the Ahli Arab Hospital, even as the exact cause remained in dispute. Over the past week, hundreds of families, fleeing airstrikes, had sought refuge on the campus of the hospital. Photos and videos showed the extent of some of the damage.
GAZA CITY Ahli Arab Hospital Windows and roof tiles blown off church, brick damaged Roof tiles blown off physiotherapy building Severe fire damage Roof tiles blown off of ambulance port Many victims seen here Personal items left behind Impact site Windows blown out of diagnostic center GAZA CITY Ahli Arab Hospital Windows and roof tiles blown off church, brick damaged Roof tiles blown off physiotherapy building Roof tiles blown off of ambulance port Many victims seen here Personal items left behind Impact site Severe fire damage Windows blown out of diagnostic center The New York Times; satellite image by Airbus via Google
A small impact crater, caused by the munition that hit the area, was visible close to the parking lot. Damage could be seen on some of the surrounding buildings and structures: roof tiles were blown off a church, an ambulance port and a building. Windows in a building housing a cancer diagnostic center were shattered.
Destroyed fencing Personal items left behind Many victims seen here Impact site Overturned car Destroyed fencing Personal items left behind Many victims seen here Impact site Overturned car The New York Times; Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The imagery also showed more than a dozen vehicles in the parking lot that were burned, overturned or otherwise damaged. Parts of the parking lot were charred, and fencing was destroyed.
The hospital was also hit on Oct. 14, which damaged the diagnostic center and injured four staff members. Video and images reviewed by The Times indicate that most of the damage shown here was likely caused by Tuesday’s explosion.
Two hours before the explosion, the courtyard was filled with people singing for peace and children playing, Hosam Naoum, Jerusalem’s Anglican archbishop, told reporters on Wednesday.
A frame from a video taken Wednesday showed some of the personal items left by people who had been sheltering in the courtyard.
Playground equipment Sleeping mats and cushions Clothing Wheelchair Children’s backpacks HOSPITAL COURTYARD Clothing Playground equipment Clothing Sleeping mats and cushions Wheelchair Children’s backpacks HOSPITAL COURTYARD Clothing The New York Times; Frame from video by Soliman Hijjy
Gazan officials have said that hundreds of people were killed in the explosion, but the exact casualty numbers were unclear. Many of those killed were women and children, said Dr. Ashraf al-Qudra, a spokesman for the Health Ministry in Gaza.
— Lauren Leatherby, Karen Yourish, Scott Reinhard, Josh Holder, Eleanor Lutz, Hiba Yazbek and Christoph Koettl
Explosion at Gaza hospital kills hundreds, Palestinians say
Hundreds of people were killed by an explosion at a hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday, according to Gazan officials. Palestinian officials said the explosion was caused by an Israeli airstrike, while Israeli officials blamed a rocket launch by militants in Gaza.
The New York Times
As of Wednesday morning local time, the precise death toll was still unclear. Many civilians had been sheltering at the hospital. The Civil Defense in Gaza said medical teams were overwhelmed and unable to respond adequately because the hospital was so badly damaged.
OMAR AL MUKHTAR STREET GAZA CITY Ahli Arab Hospital campus before explosion Zawya market The courtyard appeared to be hit the hardest Palestine Square Gaza Cemetery OMAR AL MUKHTAR STREET GAZA CITY Ahli Arab Hospital campus before explosion The courtyard appeared to be hit the hardest Gaza Cemetery The New York Times; satellite image by Airbus via Google
Photos and videos from Wednesday morning showed that the courtyard area appeared to receive the most damage.
The courtyard area of the Ahli Arab Hospital on Wednesday morning. Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The Israeli Defense Forces said on Tuesday night that its intelligence indicated the Islamic Jihad was responsible for a failed rocket launch. A spokesman for the Islamic Jihad denied the assertion, saying the group’s armed wing was not operating in the area.
This video, verified by The New York Times, is the moment a munition struck the hospital in Gaza City, causing an explosion that the Gazan health ministry said killed hundreds.
Ahli Arab Hospital, founded in 1882, is operated by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. It is the only Christian hospital in Gaza.
— Lauren Leatherby, Eleanor Lutz, Scott Reinhard, Josh Holder, Aric Toler, Riley Mellen and John Ismay
Protests arise after deadly hospital blast in Gaza
Anger over the hospital blast in Gaza led to a spate of protests across the Middle East and North Africa on Tuesday night, fueling tensions in a region already rocked by war.
People took to the streets from neighboring Lebanon and Jordan to Morocco. Protests were also reported in Europe, South America and the United States.
Protests after Ahli Arab Hospital blast The New York Times
Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group that has fought escalating clashes with Israel in recent days, denounced the hospital strike as an Israeli “massacre.” The group called for a “day of rage” on Wednesday against Israel and President Biden’s visit, according to a statement.
The Israeli military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the blast had resulted from a failed rocket launch by Islamic Jihad, a group allied with Hamas.
Protesters marching in support of Palestinians in front of the British Embassy in Tehran. Atta Kenare/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The cause of the blast at Ahli Arab Hospital, as well as the death toll, remained unclear as of Wednesday morning.
— Agnes Chang and Karen Yourish
Violence along the border between Israel and Lebanon
Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah intensified over the weekend along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, fueling fears of a wider regional conflict. Civilians were killed on both sides of the border.
The New York Times
On Monday, the Israeli military announced it would evacuate all residents who live within two kilometers of the border with Lebanon, strengthening orders from Sunday that civilians must stay close to safe rooms in their homes.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a strike that killed at least one Israeli civilian and injured three others on Sunday, saying the attack was in response to the death of a Reuters cameraman, Issam Abdallah, on Friday, as well as two other civilians killed in a separate strike on southern Lebanon on Saturday when their house was hit by shelling.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati of Lebanon blamed Mr. Abdallah’s death on Israel, whose military said it was investigating.
On Sunday, a rocket hit the headquarters for U.N. peacekeeping in southern Lebanon. No injuries were reported.
A shell from Israeli artillery explodes over a house in al-Bustan, a Lebanese border village with Israel, on Sunday. Hussein Malla/Associated Press
Attacks have been ongoing at the border since last weekend, when Hamas launched a surprise assault.
– Lauren Leatherby, Ashley Wu and Agnes Chang
Outside of Gaza, instability and uncertainty throughout the region
As attention has been focused in and around Gaza, tensions have mounted elsewhere in the region.
Lebanon Damascus Clashes and shelling continued Sunday on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. Syria Israel said it had struck Syrian airports in Damascus and Aleppo. GoLan Heights Haifa Nazareth Mediterranean Sea The U.S. sent a second aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean on Saturday. At least 61 Palestinians killed in clashes in the West Bank. West Bank Tel Aviv Amman Jerusalem Gaza City Gaza Be’er Sheva The Egypt-Gaza border remained closed Sunday as diplomats negotiated to allow aid and foreigners through the Rafah crossing. Jordan Israel Egypt 30 miles Beirut Lebanon Damascus Clashes and shelling continued Sunday on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. Syria Israel said it had struck Syrian airports in Damascus and Aleppo. Haifa The U.S. sent a second aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean on Saturday. Nazareth West Bank Tel Aviv Mediterranean Sea Amman Jerusalem At least 61 Palestinians killed in clashes in the West Bank. Gaza City Gaza Israel The Egypt-Gaza border remained closed Sunday as diplomats negotiated to allow aid and foreigners through the Rafah crossing. Jordan Egypt 50 miles
Since Oct. 7, the Israeli military and Hezbollah, a Lebanese political party and militant group allied with Hamas, have each carried out multiple attacks along the Israel-Lebanon border. Israel has been seeking to prevent Iran from moving weapons through Syria, and attacks on Syrian airports have been reported. Egypt’s Rafah border crossing remained blocked as of Sunday, preventing Gazans as well as foreign nationals from escaping Gaza.
Casualties in the West Bank have not approached the levels in Gaza. But at least 61 Palestinians have been killed with clashes with the Israeli army and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, reported that some of those people were shot and killed by Israeli forces during confrontations or protests, while others were civilians killed in a series of attacks by settlers. Israeli officials have not commented on specific incidents but said they were conducting raids in the West Bank to arrest people linked to Hamas.
— Leanne Abraham and Ashley Wu
Where an explosion killed Gazans trying to evacuate
Hours after Israel ordered civilians to leave northern Gaza and designated a corridor for evacuees, at least one explosion occurred on the route. Videos taken shortly after 5 p.m. on Friday on Salah Al-Din Road show that at least nine people, some of them children, lay motionless, some maimed and bleeding, on the road near four burning cars.
Erez crossing Sderot WEST BANK Gaza Strip No-access zone Area of evacuation Israel Jabaliya Gaza City Netivot GAZA Explosion along evacuation route Wadi Gaza Deir al Balah ISRAEL Salah Al-Din Mediterranean Sea Khan Younis Rafah Rafah crossing EGYPT N 5 miles Erez crossing WEST BANK Gaza Strip Area of evacuation Israel Jabaliya Gaza City GAZA Explosion along evacuation route Med. Sea Wadi Gaza ISRAEL Deir al Balah Salah Al-Din Khan Younis Rafah EGYPT Rafah crossing N 5 miles
Yusuf Al-Hindi, a medic with the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza who responded to the scene, said he saw about 30 dead bodies.
The health ministry has said at least 70 people were killed while they were attempting to follow Israel’s evacuation edict. Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a reservist and spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, said while there was no intentional targeting, he could not categorically deny that the explosion was caused by Israeli fire. The New York Times was not able to determine the cause of the explosion.
— Eli Murray, Scott Reinhard, Yousur Al-Hlou, Aric Toler, Ishaan Jhaveri and Robin Stein
An initial look at where Israel has hit Gaza
A new analysis of satellite imagery shows an estimate of the areas in Gaza that were significantly damaged in the first six days of Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes. The Israeli Air Force said it dropped about 6,000 bombs throughout Gaza over that time.
Areas of significant damage
Beit Hanoun Beit Lahiya West Bank Gaza Strip Israel Jabaliya GAZA Refugee camp ISRAEL Al Jadidah Rimal Gaza City Al Mughaqa Bureij Nusseirat Maghazi Al Musaddar Deir al Balah Wadi as Salqa Al Qarara As Sureij Bani Suheila Abasan al-Kabira Khuza'a Khan Younis Al Fukhkhari Umm Kamil Umm al Kilab Al Mawasi Tal as Sultan Shokat as Sufi Rafah EGYPT N 1 mile Beit Hanoun Beit Lahiya GAZA ISRAEL Jabaliya Refugee camp Al Jadidah Rimal West Bank Gaza City Gaza Strip Israel Juhor ad Dik Al Mughaqa Nusseirat Maghazi Al Musaddar Deir al Balah Wadi as Salqa As Sureij Al Qarara Bani Suheila Khuza'a Khan Younis Al Fukhkhari Umm Kamil Umm al Kilab Al Mawasi Tal as Sultan Shokat as Sufi Rafah EGYPT N 2 miles Sources: Damage analysis of Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data by Corey Scher of CUNY Graduate Center and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University; satellite image from Copernicus Note: Data is of Gaza through Oct. 12 at 6:41 p.m. in Gaza and Israel. By The New York Times
Northern Gaza bore the brunt of the damage from the attacks, according to the analysis by satellite remote sensing scientists. Many buildings in the Rimal neighborhood were leveled by Israeli airstrikes, along with large sections of Beit Hanoun. Pockets of the Shati and Jabaliya refugee camps, where dozens were killed, also sustained damage.
Areas of significant damage
Beit Hanoun Beit Lahiya Jabaliya GAZA Shati refugee camp ISRAEL Al Jadidah Rimal Gaza City N 1 mile Beit Hanoun Beit Lahiya Jabaliya GAZA Shati refugee camp ISRAEL Al Jadidah Rimal Gaza City N 1.5 miles Sources: Damage analysis of Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data by Corey Scher of CUNY Graduate Center and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University; satellite image from Copernicus Note: Data is of Gaza through Oct. 12 at 6:41 p.m. in Gaza and Israel. By The New York Times
Israel has said that its airstrikes have targeted centers of operations of Hamas, and that these can include mosques, houses and office buildings. Aid groups say that many innocent civilians have also been killed or injured.
Early Friday morning, the Israeli military called for the entire population of densely populated northern Gaza to evacuate to the southern half of the territory within 24 hours, in what appeared to be another step in readying for a ground invasion. The maps above show estimates of damage through Thursday evening, before the call for mass evacuation.
Over the past week, about 2,228 people have been killed in Gaza, with 8,744 more injured, according to Palestinian officials.
— Zach Levitt, Elena Shao and Tim Wallace
The scale of destruction in Gaza
Israeli forces bombarded the Gaza Strip with an extraordinary number of airstrikes in recent days, a campaign both deadlier and more widespread than in recent conflicts. Some 6,000 bombs have been dropped since Oct. 7, the Israeli Air Force said.
While a full accounting of the airstrikes is currently impossible, a partial record shows the wide range of the damage. The Times compiled the attacks from verified imagery, tallies from Palestinian and U.N. aid groups and statements from Israeli military officials.
Known structural damage by province Erez crossing Gaza Strip Sderot North Gaza WEST BANK Beit Hanoun 7 houses 2 apartment buildings 2 hospitals 1 mosque 1 office building NORTH GAZA Each symbol marks a town where there have been airstrikes Beit Lahia Israel Jabaliya Gaza 11 office buildings 9 houses 7 apartment buildings 4 mosques 3 schools 2 banks 2 hospitals 1 university 1 refugee camp Netivot Gaza City GAZA Deir al Balah Al-Bureij Nuseirat 4 houses 3 refugee camps Al-Zawaida ISRAEL Deir al Balah Khan Younis Deir al Balah 9 houses 3 apartment buildings 2 schools 2 mosques 1 office building Al-Qarara Abasan al-Kabira Khan Younis Rafah Khan Younis Khuza’a 8 houses 2 apartment buildings 2 banks 2 refugee camps 1 border crossing Rafah Rafah Rafah Rafah EGYPT Rafah crossing 5 miles N North Gaza WEST BANK 7 houses 2 apartment buildings 2 hospitals 1 mosque 1 office building Erez crossing Israel NORTH GAZA Each symbol marks a town where there have been airstrikes Gaza 11 office buildings 9 houses 7 apartment buildings 4 mosques 3 schools 2 banks 2 hospitals 1 university 1 refugee camp GAZA Deir al Balah Deir al Balah 4 houses 3 refugee camps ISRAEL Khan Younis 9 houses 3 apartment buildings 2 schools 2 mosques 1 office building Khan Younis Rafah 8 houses 2 apartment buildings 2 banks 2 refugee camps 1 border crossing Rafah EGYPT Rafah crossing 5 miles N Sources: News photography and video; verified imagery; official statements from Israeli military officials and Palestinian and U.N. aid groups Note: Sums are undercounts because of limited data availability.
Israel has said its retaliatory strikes, in response to terror attacks on Oct. 7, are focused on targets belonging to Hamas and that these can include mosques, houses and office buildings. Aid groups say many innocent civilians are also being killed or injured.
The Israeli Air Force has said the airstrikes have killed “hundreds of terrorists.” While it is impossible to verify that claim, at least seven of the houses that were destroyed belonged to leaders of Hamas, according to an analysis of on-the-ground reports from the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, an independent organization based in Gaza.
Overall, more than 1,500 Gazans have been killed in the current conflict, according to the Gazan Ministry of Health.
— Karen Yourish, Lauren Leatherby, Eleanor Lutz, Elena Shao, Pablo Robles, Weiyi Cai and Leanne Abraham
Israel demands that northern Gaza evacuate
Israel’s military issued a statement early Friday warning the entire population of northern Gaza to relocate to the southern half of the territory within 24 hours.
The statement named the marker dividing the north from south as Wadi Gaza, a strip of wetlands that curves across the Gaza Strip.
Erez crossing Sderot Salah Al-Din Two main roads used for evacuation Gaza City Netivot Sharia Al-Rashid Area of evacuation Wadi Gaza ISRAEL GAZA Mediterranean Sea Khan Younis Rafah WEST BANK Gaza Strip Israel N Rafah crossing 5 miles EGYPT Erez crossing Sderot Area of evacuation Gaza City Netivot Salah Al-Din Two main roads used for evacuation Wadi Gaza ISRAEL GAZA Sharia Al-Rashid Khan Younis Rafah Mediterranean Sea Rafah crossing N EGYPT
The U.N. warned that relocating over one million people would lead to “devastating humanitarian consequences.” A U.N. spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, said it has “strongly appealed” for the order to be rescinded to avoid making “what is already a tragedy into a calamitous situation.”
— Weiyi Cai and Elena Shao
Palestinian death toll so far greatly exceeds those of recent conflicts
Far more Palestinians have been killed after six days of Israeli airstrikes than in the first days of recent rounds of fighting, indicating the enormous scale of the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip.
Palestinians killed since Israeli airstrikes began 1,500 killed 2023 1,417 killed 1,000 500 2008-09 430 killed 2021 2014 Day 1 Day 6 Palestinians killed since Israeli airstrikes began 1,500 killed 2023 1,417 killed 1,000 500 2008-09 430 killed 2021 2014 Day 1 Day 6 Sources: Palestinian Ministry of Health; Gazan Health Ministry (2023 deaths) Note: Shows casualties in past clashes that lasted at least a week.
The Gazan Health Ministry said Thursday that 1,417 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes. Those retaliatory strikes have come after attacks by Hamas in southern Israel killed more than 1,200 people, the deadliest assault in the country in more than half a century. It was not immediately clear how many of those killed in Gaza may have been militants.
A U.N. official warned Gaza is “facing a huge disaster” as Israel has cut off water and electricity supplies to the territory and continues to pummel the 140-square-mile strip with strikes.
Over the past 15 years, far more Palestinians have been killed than Israelis in confrontations between the two. In 2014, most of the more than 2,000 Palestinians killed in a 50-day war with Israel were civilians, according to data from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The war also ended in the deaths of 73 Israelis.
— Lauren Leatherby
Imagery shows destruction in residential areas of Gaza
New satellite imagery shows severe damage to residential areas in Gaza City and Beit Hanoun, a town on the northeastern edge of the Gaza Strip.
Before After Source: Maxar Technologies (after), CNES/Airbus and Maxar Technologies via Google Maps (before)
In Gaza City, new imagery from Maxar Technologies shows flattened buildings in a residential area near several universities.
Video captured Thursday from the Shati refugee camp north of Gaza City showed people digging through rubble in the densely populated area.
Imagery from Beit Hanoun taken on Tuesday by Planet Labs shows dozens of structures flattened in residential areas.
Beit Hanoun Hospital Damaged area BEIT HANOUN Gaza City Beit Hanoun GAZA ISRAEL 500 feet Beit Hanoun Hospital Damaged area BEIT HANOUN Gaza City Beit Hanoun GAZA ISRAEL 500 feet Source: Satellite image by Planet Labs
The Health Ministry in Gaza said Beit Hanoun Hospital is now out of service because of the strikes.
Before After
Before After
Before After Source: Planet Labs
Beit Hanoun is about four miles from the Israeli city of Sderot, one of the towns Hamas terrorists infiltrated on Saturday and just over a mile from the Erez border crossing.
— Agnes Chang and Lauren Leatherby
Israel plugs border with Gaza and readies possible ground invasion
On Wednesday, the Israeli military said it had regained control of the region right outside Gaza and designated it a closed military zone.
WEST BANK Ashkelon Gaza Strip Israeli closed military zone Israel Sderot Gaza City Refugee camp Netivot GAZA Ofakim ISRAEL Deir al Balah Mediterranean Sea Khan Younis Rafah N EGYPT 5 miles Gaza Strip WEST BANK Israeli closed military zone Israel Sderot Gaza City Refugee camp Netivot GAZA Ofakim ISRAEL Mediterranean Sea Khan Younis Rafah N 5 miles Source: Israeli Defense Forces The New York Times
Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a reservist in the Israel Defense Forces, said Israeli troops had plugged the holes in the barrier along the border that had been breached Saturday when Hamas terrorists crossed into Israel. “We are guarding it closely and making sure Hamas terrorists are not infiltrating again,” Mr. Conricus said.
About 300,000 soldiers are assembling near the Gaza Strip for what could be a major ground invasion of the territory. Mr. Cornicus said their mission was to make sure that Hamas “at the end of this war won’t have any military capabilities by which they can threaten or kill Israeli civilians.”
— Lauren Leatherby, Eleanor Lutz and Karen Yourish
Gaza is tiny, crowded and hard to escape
The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated areas of the world. More than two million people live inside the sliver of land, just 25 miles long and 7.5 miles at its widest. The confined quarters make it nearly impossible to avoid civilian casualties when airstrikes are launched against the region.
Refugee camp WEST BANK Erez crossing Gaza Strip Sderot Israel Jabaliya Netivot Gaza City No-access zone 6 nautical mile fishing limit ISRAEL Israeli civilians evacuated GAZA Deir al Balah Mediterranean Sea 15 nautical mile fishing limit Khan Younis Rafah Rafah crossing N EGYPT 5 miles Ashkelon Refugee camp WEST BANK Gaza Strip Erez crossing No-access zone Israel Sderot Gaza City Netivot 6 nautical mile fishing limit Israeli civilians evacuated GAZA Deir al Balah ISRAEL Mediterranean Sea 15 nautical mile fishing limit Khan Younis Rafah Rafah crossing N EGYPT 5 miles Sources: OpenStreetMap; United Nations By The New York Times
On Tuesday, the Israeli military said its strikes against the coastal territory would be “bigger than before and more severe” because of the scale of the incursion by Hamas, which began Saturday. Israel has struck more than a thousand targets in Gaza so far, leveling apartment buildings, mosques and a marketplace.
At least 200,000 residents of Gaza have been displaced from their homes, according to the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and the scale of the humanitarian disaster is expected to get worse.
Since Hamas seized control of the area in 2007, the Gaza Strip has been under a blockade that restricts the import of goods that could be used to make weapons and prevents most people from leaving.
Israel’s defense minister intensified these restrictions on Monday, cutting off flows of electricity, food, water and fuel into the area.
— Scott Reinhard and Karen Yourish
Israeli attacks on mosques and other targets in Gaza
Israel launched a series of retaliatory strikes against Gaza on Monday morning, hitting several mosques and a marketplace. While the death toll is not known, videos from the market, in the Jabaliya refugee camp, showed bodies on the ground and people rushing to find survivors.
Major strikes on Oct. 9 Sources: Palestinian Interior Ministry, photos of the strikes’ aftermath. The New York Times
The Israeli military said it struck more than 500 targets in Gaza from Sunday night and into Monday.
At least four of the destroyed mosques were in the Shati refugee camp, one of the most densely populated areas of the already densely populated Gaza strip. The Israel military has said that Hamas operates out of civilian targets, including one of the mosques it struck today.
Yassin Mosque in Shati refugee camp Before After Source: Hatem Moussa/Associated Press, Google Earth
Al Gharbi (West) Mosque in Shati refugee camp Before After Source: Hatem Moussa/Associated Press, Google Earth
Al Sousi Mosque in Shati refugee camp Before After Source: Mahmud Hams/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images, Mohammed A.H. via Google Maps
Israel ordered a “complete siege” of the long-blockaded Gaza strip on Monday, two days after Palestinian militants launched a major attack into Israel.
— Agnes Chang and Lauren Leatherby
Fighting for control of communities near Gaza
Israeli soldiers were still fighting militants in at least six locations in southern Israel near the border with Gaza on Monday morning local time. An Israeli military spokesman said it had regained control of all the communities around 11:30 a.m., but there were still clashes on the ground after the announcement.
Where fighting is ongoing Towns invaded by militants
The New York Times
Lt. Col. Richard Hecht of the Israel Defense Forces said that not all of the breaches in the border fence had been fully closed, and more militants could still be crossing into Israeli territory from Gaza.
“We are still fighting,” he said at a briefing on Monday morning. “We thought by this morning we’d be in a better place.”
— Agnes Chang
Deadliest day of attacks on Israel in country’s history
More people died in Israel in a single day than any other day since Israel became a state, according to Israel’s foreign press office. Around 700 Israelis had died since attacks began on Saturday, according to Israel’s foreign ministry as of 10:20 p.m. local time on Sunday. The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 413 Palestinians had been killed.
Israeli and Palestinian conflict-related deaths 2,000 deaths More people in Israel have died in this conflict than in any year in decades. 1,500 A 50-day war in 2014 sparked by the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers ended in the deaths of 73 Israelis and more than 2,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians. 1,000 Deaths since most recent conflict began 500 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2023 Deaths since most recent conflict began 1,000 1,500 2,000 2023 More people in Israel have died in this conflict than in any year in decades. 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 A 50-day war in 2014 sparked by the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers ended in the deaths of 73 Israelis and more than 2,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians. 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 Note: Data for 2023 are current as of Oct. 8 at 10:20 p.m. in Israel. Sources: U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Israeli foreign ministry, Gaza Health Ministry The New York Times
Both sides are continuing attacks, and if Israel uses the same playbook it has in recent conflicts and clashes last more than a few days, the Palestinian death toll will be disproportionate. In recent confrontations, far more Palestinians have been killed by Israelis than Israelis have been killed by Palestinians.
The U.N. reported that 11 Israelis were killed in 2021, the year of the most recent conflict that lasted longer than a week. That conflict began after the Israeli police raided the Aqsa compound in Jerusalem, prompting rocket fire from Gaza. Israel retaliated with airstrikes on Gaza, leading to 349 Palestinian casualties in 2021, including several dozen children.
The U.N. includes in its database Palestinians and Israelis who were killed or injured in conflicts since 2008 in either Israel or the Palestinian territories, which include the West Bank. Information on casualties is collected and entered by field staff and validated by multiple sources.
— Lauren Leatherby and Karen Yourish
Israel evacuates civilians from towns bordering Gaza
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, Israel’s top military spokesman, said the Israel Defense Forces were evacuating all civilians from the 24 villages near the Gaza border. The move is an indication that Israel might be preparing for an operation inside the Palestinian coastal territory.
Where Israel is evacuating towns The New York Times
The civilian evacuation “will be completed today,” Admiral Hagari said.
Also on Sunday, the Israeli military said fighter jets conducted an “intensive aerial strike” against Hamas military targets near the barrier dividing Israel from Beit Hanoun, a city on the northeast edge of the Gaza Strip.
— Lauren Leatherby, Karen Yourish and Eli Murray
A surprise attack by Hamas and Israel’s response
Israel and Hamas declared they were at war on Saturday after Hamas militants launched one of the largest assaults on Israel in 50 years.
Where Hamas militants infiltrated Israel towns, and where Israel struck Gaza Airstrike Town invaded by militants
The New York Times
Hamas fired thousands of rockets toward Israeli cities, and Palestinian militants crossed into southern Israel, killing civilians and holding Israelis hostage.
Israel retaliated with major strikes across the blockaded Gaza Strip, leveling multistory buildings, including a residential building with approximately 100 units.
At least 2,200 rockets were fired into Israeli airspace in the early hours of the assault, said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, Israel’s top military spokesman. Israel’s emergency service, Magen David Adom, said it had received reports of Hamas rockets landing as far north as Tel Aviv. The exact location of many rocket strikes is unknown.
Where Hamas rockets struck Israel Rocket strike Other attacks by militants and Israel
The New York Times
Photos showed dead bodies of civilians in their cars and at a bus stop in and around the Israeli city of Sderot. The bodies of several bloodied civilians were crumpled together in a room following an attack on the kibbutz of Kfar Azza.
A woman running to a shelter after a rocket siren sounded in Ashkelon, Israel. Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times
On Saturday evening, Admiral Hagari said there were ongoing hostage situations in the Be’eri kibbutz and the city of Ofakim.
Plumes of flames and smoke rose above Gaza City as Israel retaliated, reducing multistory buildings to rubble.
A high-rise building is bombed in Gaza. Soliman Hijjy
The streets of Gaza City were largely empty as residents prepared for intensified Israeli airstrikes.
The Palestinian territory of Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade, backed by Egypt, since Hamas seized control of the coastal strip in 2007. The blockade restricts the import of many goods and prevents most people from leaving the territory.
— Lauren Leatherby, Karen Yourish and Elena Shao
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