The destruction in Gaza is hard to comprehend

Gaza is a territory of 365 square kilometers, or 140 square miles. About the same area as Philadelphia or Detroit.

Israel subjected it in a matter of weeks to a bombardment that rivals or exceeds that rained upon Aleppo during the Syrian civil war1, Dresden during WW22, or the entire country of Iraq during the US invasion in 20033.

Over 80% of buildings in northern Gaza were likely damaged or destroyed as of 9 January 2024. More than 85% of the population has been internally displaced and rendered homeless.

Such a level of devastation is hard to even fathom. This map aims to make this geographically concentrated level of destruction comprehensible by showing what it would look like near you, or near various major cities of the world.

What would the destruction of Gaza look like if brought to you?

What would the destruction of Gaza look like in…

AdelaideAnkaraAucklandBarcelonaBerlinBogotáBrasíliaBrisbaneBuenos AiresCairoChicagoDallasDar es SalaamDelhiDhakaDoualaGazaGuadalajaraGuangzhouHoustonIstanbulİzmirJakartaJohannesburgKhartoumKinshasaLagosLimaLondonLos AngelesLuandaMadridManilaMelbourneMexico CityMiamiMoscowMumbaiNairobiNew YorkParisPerthPhiladelphiaRio de JaneiroSaint PetersburgSanta CruzSantiagoSeoulShanghaiSydneySão PauloTel AvivTimbíoTokyoToronto

Or, search for a different city:

Feedback about the map?

Data source: Damage analysis of Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data by Corey Scher of CUNY Graduate Center and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University.

Each red area on the map represents a damaged or destroyed building