Ultra-high-resolution satellite images have revealed vast areas of destruction and active Israeli military positions across the northern and eastern parts of the Gaza Strip.
The images, captured in 2025 and obtained from servers belonging to the Israel Mapping Centre, the government geospatial portal, offer exceptional resolution. Users can zoom in to unusually detailed levels, revealing military vehicles, fortifications and destroyed buildings, in some cases exceeding the high-resolution imagery typically available from commercial satellite providers.
While Israeli maps appear to deliberately obscure most of the Gaza Strip, apparently for security and military reasons, a northeastern strip extending from the outskirts of Gaza City to Beit Lahia has recently appeared in full clarity, without any masking.
The change has provided a rare opportunity to examine the scale of transformations on the ground. It remains unclear why the restrictions were lifted over these areas, which form part of the Yellow Line where Israeli occupation forces are deployed.
These areas and military positions have undergone continuous changes over recent months. Although the images do not necessarily represent the exact military deployment on the ground at this moment, the broader pattern of widespread destruction and the engineering layout of Israeli forces remain broadly similar.
Near-Total Destruction in Beit Hanoun
The satellite images show the near-complete wiping out of residential neighbourhoods in Beit Hanoun, at the far north of the Gaza Strip, alongside extensive bulldozing of infrastructure.
Large sections of the town appear levelled, illustrating the scale of physical destruction inflicted on the area.
Severe Destruction in Shujaiya
Images of the Shujaiya neighbourhood, east of Gaza City, show extensive destruction across residential blocks.
Deep bulldozing routes and newly carved roads are also visible across the neighbourhood, reflecting major changes to its urban landscape.
Israeli Military Deployment Near the Karni Crossing
The imagery also shows an Israeli military deployment at the time inside the area of the Karni Crossing, southeast of the Zeitoun neighbourhood in Gaza City.
These military reinforcements served as an important artery for Israeli ground operations during the war.
Military Positions East of Jabalia
Other images reveal carefully constructed engineering fortifications and concentrations of military vehicles inside the boundaries of Shujaiya.
Soldiers’ tents and accommodation areas can also be seen at the site.
The position lies close to another military point established by the Israeli army on the elevated Al-Muntar Hill in the neighbourhood.
The imagery provides a detailed view not only of the destruction across northern Gaza but also of the structured military infrastructure established within and around devastated civilian areas.
Since 7 October 2023, Israel has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians during the genocide in Gaza and wounded more than 174,000 others. Around 90 per cent of the Gaza Strip’s infrastructure has also been destroyed, according to reports from the Government Media Office and the United Nations.
