A Gaza City Neighborhood Is Now a Wasteland, Satellite Images Show

[Celerity]

With Israel’s expanded assault looming, Zeitoun already resembles other parts of Gaza that have been largely flattened in the war.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/world/middleeast/gaza-city-zeitoun-destruction.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20250828191405/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/world/middleeast/gaza-city-zeitoun-destruction.html

A large part of Zeitoun, a neighborhood in Gaza City, was still standing just three weeks ago. But as Israeli forces have expanded their military campaign, the area has been turned into a barren wasteland, according to satellite images reviewed by The New York Times.



While Israel’s government has announced that the military is planning a full-scale assault of Gaza City, soldiers have not yet moved into a majority of the city. In Zeitoun, forces have already been operating for weeks, dropping bombs on buildings and ordering residents to evacuate. A satellite image from Aug. 8 showed scores of buildings intact and what appear to be several tent encampments. A separate image of the same area from Aug. 25 showed many, if not most, of the buildings reduced to piles of rubble and the apparent encampments gone.

In recent days, Israeli tanks were seen in Zeitoun, according to satellite images. The scale of the destruction resembles that of places in Gaza that have been largely flattened over the course of the war, such as Rafah in the south and Beit Hanoun in the north. “It’s enormous,” said Fadl al-Saifi, 33, a resident of Sabra, an adjacent neighborhood. “It’s heartbreaking to see your friends’ homes in ruins.” He said that, in the past week, he visited Zeitoun to observe the damage.

snip

Eli Cohen, a minister in Israel’s high-level security cabinet, has said the Israeli operation in Gaza City should reduce the city to rubble. “Gaza City itself should be exactly like Rafah, which we turned into a city of ruins,” he told Channel 14, a right-wing television station, this month. Some of Israel’s European allies have condemned its plans for an expanded offensive.

snip

[Bayard]

1. Other countries watching as a nation and its people are destroyed

[Ping Tung]

2. Democrats (77 - 11 percent) and independents (51 - 34 percent) think Israel is committing genocide,

Even Americans are joining many other countries and recognizing war crimes when they see them.

https://poll.qu.edu/poll-release?releaseid=3929

Six in 10 voters (60 percent) oppose the United States sending more military aid to Israel for their efforts in the war with Hamas, while 32 percent support it.

This is the highest level of opposition and lowest level of support for the United States sending more military aid to Israel since Quinnipiac University first asked this question of registered voters on November 2, 2023, in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

In today's poll, Democrats (75 - 18 percent) and independents (66 - 27 percent) oppose sending more military aid to Israel for their efforts in the war with Hamas, while Republicans (56 - 37 percent) support it.

Voters were asked whether their sympathies lie more with the Israelis or more with the Palestinians based on what they know about the situation in the Middle East. Thirty-seven percent of voters say the Palestinians, while 36 percent say the Israelis, and 27 percent did not offer an opinion. oll.qu.edu/poll-release?releaseid=3929

[Rob H.]

3. Surprised the IDF hasn't issued a statement accusing the satellites of being Hamas nt

[AloeVera]

4. The ethnic cleansing IDF hard at work.

Very busy the last three weeks, what with bombing, shelling and bulldozing the homes of starving civilians, obstructing aid and shooting the starving.

Whatever would the IDF do on an actual front line and battlefield, with a real army to face - like the Ukrainians? No civilians to terrorize and make homeless, snipe for kicks, starve to death and expel from their homeland?

Zeitoun was one of the last, if not the last, of the better neighbourhoods in Gaza. No surprise it was destroyed. Palestinians cannot have any nice things, like food, water, medicine and shelter.

[malaise]

5. Evil

That is all

[cliffside]

6. And people just watch the killing and starvation of others as our nation supplies weapons and intelligence to the IDF...

another 60+ killed and starved today.

And my Dem senator has never replied to my emails or calls.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

7. Satellites are operated by Hamas - some Kapo, probably.