Satellite Images Reveal 80% Destruction of Rafah as Israel Expands Gaza Offensive
Hebrew media confirms massive devastation in Rafah amid Israel's U.S.-backed campaign, as plans for full occupation of Gaza accelerate under “Gideon’s Chariots.”
Watan-Satellite images have shown that Israel has destroyed nearly 80% of buildings in the city of Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip, as part of its U.S.-backed campaign of annihilation, according to Israeli media.
Channel 12 in Israel published images on Thursday depicting the vast scale of destruction in Rafah—a city the Israeli government has designated as a relocation zone for civilians under its military plan, “Gideon’s Chariots.”
On Sunday evening, Israel’s security cabinet approved a military plan designed by Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi to expand operations toward the full occupation of Gaza.
80% of Rafah Destroyed as Israel Advances “Gideon’s Chariots” Plan
According to the report, the operation—officially titled “Gideon’s Chariots”—has been delayed until after President Trump’s scheduled visit to the region in mid-May.
Citing analysis from the Geographic Information Systems Center at the Hebrew University, Channel 12 reported that around 80% of Rafah and its refugee camp buildings have been destroyed.
Satellite imagery compared with April 2024 data revealed that most of Rafah’s neighborhoods were still intact before the ground assault began.
Thousands of buildings were destroyed by the end of 2024, particularly around the Philadelphi Corridor, which runs along the border with Egypt. Only the northern part of the city remains standing.
“As the military operation expanded,” the report noted, “only about 20% of the city remains, mostly in the north.”
In March 2025 alone, approximately 1,100 buildings were destroyed in Rafah—the highest destruction rate in Gaza that month.
Satellite images also showed construction progress on the “Morag Highway,” an 8-kilometer road meant to isolate Rafah from the rest of Gaza. Images dated April 4 and 29 confirmed significant paving progress, with only 5 kilometers remaining to connect it to the coast.
The report added that destruction is concentrated in Jabalia in the north, and Khan Younis and Rafah in the south, where destruction exceeds 80%.
Gaza’s Central Region Partially Spared as North and South Face Total Devastation
In contrast, the “central camps” region of Gaza saw damage ranging from 5% to 40%, depending on the area.
The report also noted that all buildings near the Netzarim Corridor, which divides northern Gaza from the rest of the Strip, have been completely destroyed, along with about 1,000 other buildings, mostly in northern Gaza.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with U.S. support, has carried out what many human rights groups are calling a campaign of genocide in Gaza, leaving more than 171,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, and over 11,000 missing.
Gaza has been under Israeli blockade for 18 years, and nearly 1.5 million out of 2.4 million residents have lost their homes in the destruction. The Strip is also facing severe famine, as Israel continues to block humanitarian aid crossings.
