Amnesty International called for a war crimes investigation into Israel's demolition of homes and farms in eastern Gaza to extend a buffer zone between the Israeli border and the Palestinian territory. The organization stated that the Israeli military has illegally destroyed agricultural land and civilian buildings using bulldozers and manually placed explosives, leveling entire neighborhoods including homes, schools, and mosques.
The London-based human rights group argued that the extensive destruction since the conflict began on October 7 should be examined as war crimes involving wanton destruction and collective punishment. Israel has claimed in several instances that it was dismantling 'terror' infrastructure to safeguard Israeli communities on the other side of the border. They did not respond to Amnesty's request for comment.
Amnesty's investigation, which analyzed satellite imagery and videos shared by Israeli soldiers between October and May, revealed newly cleared land along Gaza's eastern border, ranging from approximately 1 to 1.8 km wide. The expanded buffer zone now encompasses about 58 square kilometers, or roughly 16 percent of the Gaza Strip. Over 90 percent of the buildings within this zone seem to have been either destroyed or severely damaged, and more than half of the agricultural land showed a decline in crop health and intensity due to the ongoing conflict.
Erika Guevara-Rosas of Amnesty noted that the analysis uncovers a pattern of systematic destruction along the eastern perimeter of Gaza. She emphasized that the homes were not destroyed during intense combat but were deliberately razed by the Israeli military after they had secured the area. Guevara-Rosas also highlighted that Israel's measures to protect its citizens from attacks must comply with international law, specifically prohibiting wanton destruction and collective punishment.
The Palestinian armed group Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of 1,205 individuals, predominantly civilians and hostages, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Out of 251 hostages taken by Palestinian militants, 97 remain in Gaza, including 33 whom the Israeli military claims are deceased. Israel's retaliatory actions against Hamas have led to the deaths of over 40,800 people in Gaza, as reported by the Hamas-run health ministry, with the UN rights office stating that most of the casualties are women and children.
