Satellite images reveal Israel expanding Gaza military sites | Gaza News

Photographs present Israel constructing everlasting army bases in Gaza as US-backed reconstruction plans stall.

America has proposed plans to rebuild Rafah, a metropolis in southern Gaza that was flattened by two years of Israeli bombardment. It has been touted because the centrepiece of a US-Israeli imaginative and prescient for a post-war Gaza, however satellite tv for pc pictures counsel the mission has stalled earlier than even breaking floor.

An Al Jazeera Digital Investigations Unit examination of Planet Labs and Sentinel Hub satellite tv for pc imagery revealed that Israeli army fortifications are increasing at a relentless tempo throughout Gaza, significantly in Rafah.

Evaluation of images from February 25 to March 15 confirmed that whereas rubble elimination has basically ceased in Beit Hanoon within the north and Rafah, Israeli forces are systematically entrenching a everlasting army actuality throughout the devastated enclave.

Whereas civilian reconstruction has slowed, Israeli army building has accelerated. Satellite tv for pc imagery from March 10 reveals in depth clearing and fortification on the strategic al-Muntar hilltop in Shujayea, a neighbourhood in Gaza Metropolis, and outposts in Khan Younis in Gaza’s south.

In central Gaza, Sentinel imagery from March 15 revealed ongoing work on a trench and grime berm reaching so far as the Maghazi camp close to Deir el-Balah. In Juhor ad-Dik, new roads now hyperlink established army websites to newly levelled areas, suggesting the creation of everlasting outposts.

These findings align with a late 2025 investigation by Forensic Structure that recognized 48 Israeli army websites inside Gaza – 13 of which had been constructed after an October “ceasefire”. These websites have advanced into everlasting bases with paved roads, watchtowers and fixed communication hyperlinks to Israel’s home army community.

The ‘New Rafah’ phantasm

On the World Financial Discussion board within the Swiss metropolis of Davos in January, Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, showcased AI-generated visions of a “New Rafah” that includes skyscrapers and luxurious resorts. Trump additional promoted this “Center East Riviera” by a 20-point plan, promising $10bn in funding by way of the Board of Peace, which he has established as a possible rival of the United Nations.

Nonetheless, the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has warned that the “New Rafah” plan is a mechanism for demographic re-engineering and compelled displacement.

The plan entails dividing Gaza into inhabitants blocks and closed army zones. Palestinians could be confined to “cities” of residential caravans, every packing roughly 25,000 individuals right into a single sq. kilometre (0.4sq miles). These “cities” are to be surrounded by fences and checkpoints, and entry to important companies could be contingent upon passing Israeli-US safety screenings – a mannequin Euro-Med likened to ghettos.

A brand new, everlasting border

Gaza’s “yellow line” “ceasefire” boundary is being remodeled right into a everlasting frontier. In Beit Lahiya within the north, satellite tv for pc pictures from March 4 present the development of a mud berm alongside the “yellow line” and one other operating parallel to it and constructed greater than 580 metres (634 yards) into what the “ceasefire” designates as land the place Palestinians are purported to dwell – a big encroachment past the designated line.

In December, Israeli Chief of Workers Eyal Zamir outlined the road as a “new border”. Defence Minister Israel Katz later declared Israel would “by no means depart Gaza”, promising to ascertain military-agricultural settlements.

Al Jazeera’s investigation additional documented that Israel has secretly moved concrete boundary markers a whole bunch of metres deeper into areas designated for Palestinians.

A bloody ‘ceasefire’

Regardless of the October “ceasefire”, violence persists. Gaza’s Ministry of Well being reported 750 deaths and greater than 2,090 accidents for the reason that “ceasefire” started, bringing the overall demise toll for the reason that October 2023 begin of Israel’s genocidal conflict to greater than 72,300. An unbiased research in The Lancet medical journal advised the precise demise toll might be considerably increased. It estimated greater than 75,000 deaths from “direct violence” by early 2025 alone.

An Al Jazeera evaluation discovered that Israel has launched assaults on 160 out of the 182 days of the “ceasefire”. These assaults usually contain incursions aimed toward levelling areas designated for Palestinian habitation.

Efforts to doc these developments are dealing with unprecedented hurdles. This month, Planet Labs introduced an “indefinite” ban on pictures from battle zones after a US authorities request. Different suppliers, like Vantor, have imposed comparable restrictions, severely limiting the power of media and human rights teams to observe the state of affairs in Gaza.

As of this month, humanitarian assessments by support teams, together with Oxfam and Save the Kids, have given the Trump reconstruction plan a failing grade, saying it has didn’t “reveal a transparent impression on circumstances inside Gaza”.