GAZA, (PIC)
In the midst of the genocide carried out by Israel in the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces have eliminated each aspect of life and shelter. The attacks have not been limited to activists or even civilians. They have extended to residential buildings and high-rise towers, concrete structures that hold the lives of thousands of families.
Over months of aggression, these towers became direct targets. Their destruction turned into a repeated and visible pattern, accompanied by official Israeli statements linking the bombings to political objectives rather than urgent military necessity. This signals a policy that goes beyond the logic of combat operations toward forcibly reshaping realities in Gaza.
Deliberate destruction pattern
At least 13 high-rise buildings in Gaza City had been targeted between September and October 2025, Amnesty International documented, although in reality hundreds of residential buildings and towers were leveled.
Each building was struck repeatedly after residents were forcibly evacuated.
These towers housed thousands of civilians, including displaced families. The attacks did not occur in isolation but in the heart of a densely populated civilian environment.
According to Amnesty International, this destruction was not driven by imperative military necessity. Instead, it formed part of a broader pattern of attacks on civilian infrastructure.
For her part, Erika Guevara Rosas, a senior official at the organization, stated that all available evidence indicates the destruction of these buildings was not required by military operations. This places such acts within the scope of war crimes, including unjustified destruction and collective punishment.
Collective punishment
Statements issued by Israeli Army Minister Israel Katz following these operations provide a clear indication of the intent behind the targeting. Katz explicitly linked the bombings to pressure on Hamas, declaring that the gates of hell had been opened and threatening further destruction of Gaza if Israeli demands were not met.
This direct linkage between the destruction of civilian property and political demands constitutes, as Amnesty International asserts, an acknowledgment that citizens’ suffering is being used as a tool of pressure.
Public celebration of the destruction of citizen facilities, including universities and commercial towers, reinforces the conclusion that the objective extends beyond military necessity to creating a widespread deterrent effect on the population.
Despite Israeli claims that the towers were used for military purposes, no concrete evidence has been presented to support these allegations. Official statements have relied on generalized language referring to terrorist infrastructure without providing specific details or documentation.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International analyzed satellite imagery and verified dozens of videos, finding no evidence of military activity inside these buildings at the time they were targeted. The organization also reported receiving no response to formal inquiries sent to the Israeli Army Ministry regarding the nature of the targets.
This gap between claims and evidence strengthens the argument that the strikes were unlawful, particularly given that international humanitarian law requires clear and direct military necessity to justify the destruction of the properties of citizens.
Field testimonies
Residents, via social media accounts, provided detailed insight into the evacuation procedures that preceded the strikes. In most cases, residents received phone calls giving them only minutes to leave.
Rather than ensuring protection, these warnings triggered widespread panic.
A university professor who lived in one of the towers described how 76 families evacuated without being able to take any belongings, adding that his children continue to suffer from psychological trauma.
In another testimony, a woman described residents rushing to leave within just 20 minutes in a scene marked by chaos and fear.
These accounts indicate that the warnings were insufficient to protect the citizens. Instead, they functioned as a mechanism to force displacement under conditions of extreme distress, aligning with the concept of forced displacement prohibited under international law.
Prevention of return
Following the ceasefire announcement in October 2025, Israeli forces continued demolition operations in areas east of ‘the Yellow Line’. These areas make up more than 55 percent of the Gaza Strip. Palestinians have been prevented from returning, while bulldozing and demolition continue, entrenching a new reality of geographic exclusion.
The destruction has not been confined to these zones. Israeli airstrikes have continued to target remaining homes and even the remnants of previously damaged buildings.
In a recent attack on al-Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City, a three story house was bombed, leading to the destruction of 30 nearby homes that had previously survived earlier strikes.
Amnesty International describes this pattern as part of a broader policy aimed at subjecting the population to harsh living conditions, including deprivation of shelter and aid. Such acts may constitute prohibited violations under international law if carried out with intent to partially or fully destroy a population group.
Scale of devastation revealed
Joint estimates by the World Bank, the European Union, and the United Nations indicate that Israeli attacks have destroyed or damaged more than 371,000 housing units over two years. This represents more than 76 percent of all homes in the Gaza Strip.
As a result, more than 60 percent of the population is now living without permanent shelter. Satellite imagery analysis further shows that 83 percent of buildings in Gaza City had been damaged or destroyed by September 2025, marking an unprecedented level of devastation within a short time frame.
The documentation provided by Amnesty International, combined with field testimonies and data analysis, presents a consistent picture of the targeting of residential towers as part of a systematic destruction policy.
This pattern extends beyond physical damage. It contributes to the dismantling of social structures and imposes a reality of prolonged displacement.
From a legal perspective, these actions constitute serious violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits collective punishment and the destruction of property without imperative military necessity. As Israel continues to enjoy impunity, Palestinian citizens continue to live in the ongoing consequences of destruction and displacement.
