Gaza: Israel must be investigated for war crime of 'wanton destruction' - new investigation

Detailed analysis of satellite imagery and social media videos reveals extent of Israeli military’s destruction of property in its ‘buffer zone’

More than 3,500 structures destroyed or severely damaged, and more than 20km² of agricultural land in this area shows a decline in health and density of crops

‘People have not just lost their homes, but also their livelihoods. The whole of Gaza has lost its food production’ - Khuza’a resident Tahani al-Najjar

The Israeli military’s campaign to significantly expand a “buffer zone” along the eastern perimeter of the occupied Gaza Strip should be investigated as the war crimes of wanton destruction and of collective punishment, Amnesty International said in a new investigation today.

Using bulldozers and manually-laid explosives, the Israeli military has unlawfully destroyed agricultural land and civilian buildings, razing entire neighbourhoods - including homes, schools and mosques.

By analysing satellite imagery and videos posted by Israeli soldiers on social media between October 2023 and May 2024, Amnesty identified newly-cleared land along Gaza’s eastern boundary, ranging from approximately 1km to 1.8km wide. In some videos, Israeli soldiers are seen posing for photographs as buildings are demolished in the background.

Israeli officials have said the destruction of structures along Gaza’s eastern perimeter was a security measure in response to the 7 October attacks, with the Israeli military justifying demolitions throughout Gaza by saying it had destroyed tunnels and other “terror infrastructure”.

The expanded “buffer zone” along the perimeter with Israel covers approximately 58km², which amounts to roughly 16% of Gaza. As of May, more than 90% of the buildings within this area (more than 3,500 structures) appear to have been destroyed or severely damaged, and more than 20km² (59%) of agricultural land in this area shows a decline in the health and density of crops.

Amnesty interviewed affected residents and farmers, analysed satellite imagery, verified 25 videos filmed along the perimeter area, and tracked statements issued by the Israeli military, Hamas and other armed groups to determine whether the destruction was lawful, including whether it could be justified by imperative military necessity (see details below). In four areas investigated by Amnesty the destruction was carried out after the Israeli military had operational control over the areas, meaning that it was not caused by direct combat between the Israeli military and Palestinian armed groups. In these parts of Gaza, structures were deliberately and systematically demolished.

Punitive demolition of civilian property solely because it has been used by armed groups is prohibited as a form of collective punishment. The prior military use of civilian structures does not alone justify the demolition of civilian property, let alone excuse the wholesale destruction of entire neighbourhoods and of agricultural land required to feed the civilian population.

If the Israeli military believed it was militarily necessary to establish a “buffer zone” to protect people inside Israel from attacks by armed groups, there appear to be other options in Israeli territory to achieve that objective that would comply with international humanitarian law and Israel’s obligations as the occupying power. Given the viability of these other options and the failure to pursue them, the extensive and systematic destruction is disproportionate to any possible legitimate military purpose. These cases should be investigated as the war crime of wanton destruction. In light of the evidence that some destruction of homes and other civilian property was carried out to punish civilians for attacks by armed groups, this conduct should also be investigated as the war crime of collective punishment.

On 2 July, Amnesty sent questions regarding the demolitions to the Israeli authorities. At the time of publication, no response had been received.

Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International’s Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns Director, said: 

“The Israeli military’s relentless campaign of ruin in Gaza is one of wanton destruction.

“Our research has shown how Israeli forces have obliterated residential buildings, forced thousands of families from their homes and rendered their land uninhabitable.

“Our analysis reveals a pattern along the eastern perimeter of Gaza that is consistent with the systematic destruction of an entire area.

“These homes were not destroyed as the result of intense fighting. Rather, the Israeli military deliberately razed the land after they had taken control of the area.

“The creation of any ‘buffer zone’ must not amount to the collective punishment of the Palestinian civilians who lived in these neighbourhoods.

“Israel’s measures to protect Israelis from attacks from Gaza must be carried out in conformity with its obligations under international law, including the prohibition of wanton destruction and of collective punishment.”

Town of Khuza’a  

The town of Khuza’a in southern Gaza was home to approximately 11,000 Palestinians. In the seven weeks following 7 October 2023, satellite imagery shows that an estimated 178 structures in and around the town were destroyed or severely damaged - many by airstrikes. However, more significant destruction started once Israeli ground forces entered the town at a larger scale in late December. More than 850 structures were destroyed or severely damaged between 26 November and 7 January, according to the United Nations Satellite Centre.

On 27 December, the Israeli military announced it had started an operation dubbed “Oz and Nir” - a reference to the Nir Oz kibbutz, a community in the so-called “Gaza envelope” which was attacked by Hamas and other armed groups on 7 October. Brigadier General Avi Rosenfeld, commander of the Israeli military’s Gaza Division, said in a message to troops: “On the cursed Sabbath, October 7, the horrible terrorists, who committed the most horrible crimes imaginable, came from Khirbat Khizaaa (Khuza’a). We will work with all our might to eliminate the terrorists hiding there above and below the ground, and to dismantle the infrastructures of terrorism and evil”.

On 28 December, an Israeli soldier from the 8219 Engineering Battalion published the first video on social media of a demolition in Khuza’a, writing, “On 7/10, many terrorists came out of the houses here to slaughter the residents of Nir Oz. Tonight, we destroyed 30 of them.” Satellite imagery confirms that at least 30 houses in the area were destroyed between 26 and 30 December. In the following days, the same soldier posted five videos showing explosive demolitions, most filmed from the same rooftop. Soldiers appear smiling and posing for the camera, smoking cigarettes or shisha pipes, or toasting with drinks while explosions destroy several buildings behind them. In one video, three soldiers walk toward the camera as an explosion is detonated behind them. The text in Arabic reads, “We came back from the dead to haunt you”. The soldiers’ behaviour indicates there was no imminent threat at the time and location.

On 29 December, the Israeli military announced that its soldiers were working to gain operational control over Khuza’a, and claimed they had found dozens of tunnels, weapons and rocket launchers. Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, had previously announced that it had launched rocket-propelled grenades and mortars at Israeli troops from the Khuza’a area.

On 3 January, the Israeli military took a crew from Israel’s Now 14 TV around Khuza’a. Soldiers showed how they used M15 anti-tank landmines to destroy buildings. The crew interviewed soldiers next to buildings set to be demolished, indicating there was no imminent threat. Cables were seen being set around a structure with the numbers 8219 marked on the walls, which is the designation of the Engineering Battalion.

On 10 January, the Israeli military announced it had completed its operation in Khuza’a and said it had “destroyed hundreds of terrorist infrastructures, rocket launch positions and observation posts”, adding that soldiers “eliminated dozens of terrorists and uncovered and destroyed about 40 tunnel shafts”. However, satellite imagery and videos revealed troops had also destroyed hundreds of residential buildings, a cemetery and a primary school. Most of the buildings demolished stood within 1km to 1.2km of the perimeter fence. Systematically destroying civilian objects in retaliation for actions by armed groups may constitute collective punishment and should be investigated as a war crime.

Dr Salem Qudeih, a teacher who lived in Khuza’a with his family, told Amnesty:

“My home was about 1,650m from the border [with Israel]. We left home on 11 October because the area had become too dangerous. Around my family home we had a three dunam (0.7 acre) orchard full of fruit trees. They were all destroyed. Only an apple tree and a rose were left. I had bees and produced honey. All of it is gone now. Out of the 222 houses of my relatives in the area, only about a dozen remain. My home - where I lived with my wife, my five daughters and one son - was completely destroyed.”

Tahani al-Najjar, a 42-year-old Khuza’a resident, told Amnesty: 

“The shelling started on the first day [8 October 2023]. My uncle, his wife, children and grandchildren were killed on that first morning … seven people. After that we all left the area, with all the relatives from my extended family. We are more than 500 families … My son went to check on our home recently and found that our home is about the only one which is still standing in our area, but it is badly damaged. All around is just destruction … In our area, the al-Najjar families mostly had orchards around the homes, where families grew their fruit and vegetables. And all around the area were larger farms which produced vegetables and poultry. Much of the food produced in Gaza is from our area. People have not just lost their homes, but also their livelihoods. The whole of Gaza has lost its food production.”

Other communities along the Gaza-Israel perimeter have suffered similar extensive destruction due to Israeli demolitions. In Shuja’iya, one of Gaza City’s largest neighbourhoods, more than 750 structures within the Israeli imposed “buffer zone” and beyond have been severely damaged or destroyed between 26 November 2023 and 6 January 2024, according to UN data. Among them were two schools, mosques and dozens of residential buildings. The Israeli military claimed, without producing evidence, that some of these buildings held weapons, ammunition and tunnel shafts.

One video posted on social media on 20 December shows Israeli soldiers of Engineering Battalion 749 celebrating the demolition of approximately 30 homes in Shuja’iya. There is no indication of imminent danger for the soldiers while filming the explosion, which occurred approximately 200 metres from them. One soldier can be heard saying, "Nahal Oz, God willing, you’ll have a view of the sea”. The soldier is referring to the kibbutz of Nahal Oz, which was attacked by Palestinian armed groups on 7 October, and stands less than a kilometre from the fence on the Israeli side. In another video posted on the same day, a soldier standing on a building used as a base by the Israeli military filmed dozens of destroyed structures. The soldier says, “Sunrise at the rubble of what Shuja’iya used to be. The aerials of Nahal Oz can be seen from here, of the military base and the town”.

On 21 December, the Israeli military announced it had gained operational control over the whole neighbourhood, which extends well into Gaza City, beyond the “buffer zone” analysed here. The Israeli military also said it had “destroyed over 100 terrorist structures, exposed and destroyed dozens of tunnel shafts”. While such structures would constitute military objectives, their presence within the neighbourhood does not justify the systematic destruction of every civilian structure within that space.

Al-Bureij and Al-Maghazi refugee camps

In central Gaza, the area around and east of Al-Bureij and Al-Maghazi refugee camps was razed between late December and January. The timeline of destruction aligns with the Israeli military’s offensive in these two densely-populated areas, where it claimed to have found weapons and tunnel shafts. However, the Israeli military provided no evidence or explanation of the imperative military necessity of destroying villages and agricultural land along the eastern perimeter when the weapons and military objectives were reportedly found much further inside Gaza. More than 1,200 structures were severely damaged or destroyed in the area between 26 November and 29 February. The destruction reached up to 1.8km into Gaza from the perimeter fence, and more than 3km from north to south, covering approximately 4km².

Drone footage published on social media on 14 March shows several buildings on fire to the east of Al-Maghazi, approximately 900m from the perimeter fence. Israeli military vehicles are visible in satellite imagery on 10 January, indicating it had control of the area, and the buildings appear to have been demolished between 10 and 12 January. The surrounding fields were bulldozed by 15 January.

Further south, Al-Sureij and Abasan al-Kabira - two rural villages located approximately 1km from the perimeter fence - also had buildings and agricultural land destroyed by the Israeli military. Satellite imagery shows the Israeli military advanced towards Al-Sureij in late December. By the end of January, roughly half of the village's buildings had been demolished and surrounding fields scraped. Videos shared on social media on 19 and 20 January showed a cluster of houses being blown up. Neither the Israeli military or Palestinian armed groups published claims about their activities in and around Al-Sureij.

In late February, the Israeli military pushed further into the region east of Khan Younis where Abasan al-Kabira is located. Between 13 February and 13 March, the Israeli military claimed to have killed Palestinian fighters and found weapons in the Abasan area, which comprises the towns of Abasan al-Kabira and Abasan al-Saghira. The period coincides with the demolition of the Omar bin Abdul Aziz Mosque. This video, published on 19 February, shows soldiers walking in the area in a relaxed manner, with no indication of imminent danger.

Note: for a version of this press release with embedded satellite images and videos, go here.