DaysofPal – Israeli demolition operations, which have sharply escalated in recent weeks, are now targeting nearly every two-story building in eastern Khan Younis, according to local officials.
Nearly 99% of the area of Bani Suhaila, one of the largest towns east of Khan Younis, falls within what Israel designates as the “yellow line,” a high-risk zone that residents are forbidden to enter. Locals attempting to reach their homes to retrieve belongings or assess damage have been killed or injured, as winter sets in and families remain stranded in displacement camps under dire humanitarian conditions.
The mayor of Bani Suhaila estimated that about 85% of the town has been destroyed during the war, including residential homes, public and private facilities, farmland, and infrastructure. “If the current pace of daily demolitions continues,” he warned, “there will be no standing buildings left in the town.”
Similarly, Shuhada Abu Ruq, the mayor of Khuza’a, estimated that destruction across the eastern towns, including Abasan al-Kabira, Abasan al-Jadida, Bani Suhaila, al-Fakhari, and al-Qarara, has reached nearly 90%, encompassing homes, infrastructure, and farmlands across the entire eastern Khan Younis region.
Abu Ruq said that Khuza’a “no longer has a single intact building,” describing the town as “completely devastated.” The destruction, he added, has affected 4,500 housing units, as well as infrastructure, agricultural lands, schools, kindergartens, and municipal buildings, leaving the town “totally paralyzed.”
Dr. Ismail al-Thawabta, director general of the Government Media Office in Gaza, described what is happening in eastern Khan Younis as a “systematic escalation” following the ceasefire agreement, revealing Israel’s intent to complete the destruction of Gaza’s urban and social fabric despite Palestinian adherence to the truce.
He explained that the intensified demolition campaign aims to prevent displaced residents from returning and to impose long-term displacement by obliterating the built environment, making it uninhabitable and impossible to rebuild quickly.
“The occupation seeks to turn eastern Khan Younis into a barren, destroyed zone,” al-Thawabta said, “a policy aligned with demographic cleansing and forced geographic change.
It reflects Israel’s desire to create a new reality on the ground, one that blocks stability and prolongs the humanitarian crisis. This is not a random military act but a deliberate strategy targeting Palestinian society and its very existence.”
According to preliminary field assessments documented by the Government Media Office, over 90% of the buildings, homes, and facilities in the towns of eastern Khan Younis have suffered total or partial destruction, most of it beyond quick repair.
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