An update to Google Maps has revealed the extensive devastation in Gaza during the three-year conflict and the ongoing humanitarian crisis affecting its 2.3 million inhabitants. The images, taken in June 2026, show further destruction of homes, businesses, places of worship, and infrastructure since a fragile ceasefire came into effect almost 12 months ago.
The satellite imagery depicts vast tented camps along much of the shoreline, some within metres of the sea, and Gaza's main port, now damaged and empty, surrounded by makeshift accommodation. Open spaces in Gaza City are reportedly packed with shacks, tents, and huts.
Northern towns such as Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun show massive damage, with major neighbourhoods like Jabaliya and Shuja’iya in Gaza City appearing uninhabitable. In the south, swathes of rubble are visible, including a strip cleared by Israeli forces along the Egyptian border, and the towns of Rafah and Tel al-Sultan reportedly almost entirely reduced to rubble.
According to Unrwa, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, more than 2.1 million displaced people are living in tents and temporary shelters. Approximately 82% of structures in Gaza, around 200,000 buildings, have been damaged, with about two-thirds of those destroyed. A recent UN assessment indicated a 9% increase in destroyed structures across Gaza since the October 2025 ceasefire declaration.
Jaco Cilliers, the UN Development Programme’s special representative in Palestine, stated last month that the estimated 61 million tonnes of rubble in Gaza is roughly 20 times the amount generated in all global wars over the past 18 years. The presence of human remains under the rubble remains a pressing humanitarian concern.
The conflict, triggered by a Hamas attack into Israel in October 2023, has resulted in over 74,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza, mostly civilians. The Hamas attack killed approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages.