A complex and fragile agreement on pausing the fighting in the Gaza Strip has been achievedwith the cessation of hostilities on Sunday – more than 15 months after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 46,000 Palestinians have died and more than 110,000 have been injured since the war broke out. The conflict began on October 7, 2023, when militants led by Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage. In response, Israel launched a military campaign that devastated much of Gaza.

As the cease-fire approaches – the exact timing of which has not been confirmed – these maps and diagrams illustrate the extent of the destruction in Gaza since the war began.

More than half of Gaza damaged or destroyed

Analysis of satellite imagery by Oregon State University researchers reveals that approximately 59 percent of buildings in the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed since October 12, 2023, when the study began. The hardest hit area is Gaza City and the surrounding Gaza Governorate, where 74 percent of buildings have been damaged or destroyed in the war.

The human toll

After the ceasefire was officially announced, the death toll in Gaza exceeded 46,000, according to the region’s health ministry. However, due to the chaos of the war, verifying the exact number of casualties was challenging and subject to questioning.

A peer-reviewed study published in Lancet January 9 suggests that the official figures may be significantly underestimated. As of June 30, 2024, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported 37,877 deaths, while an academic study put the figure at around 64,200 by that date.

The UN Human Rights Office also commented on the victims. A November 2024 report stated that 70 percent of those killed were women and children.

Major Israeli operations in Gaza

As a cease-fire approaches, data from the Institute for the Study of War provides insight into Israeli military operations in Gaza.

Map data shows major operations in the hardest-hit Gaza governorate, with many Israeli troops still active in large parts of Rafah, a strategic region for Israel. One of the key areas of interest is the Philadelphia Corridor, a narrow strip of land bordering Egypt. Israel sought to control this area in order to monitor crossings into Egypt. However, a Reuters report suggests that as part of the ceasefire deal, Israeli forces will withdraw from the corridor.

As part of the gradual ceasefire agreement, Israel has agreed to withdraw from populated areas during the first phase, which is expected to last six weeks, and is expected to withdraw completely from Gaza during the second phase, the details of which have yet to be finalised. .