Before and after images show devastating extent of Gaza bombing

Satellite pictures from Maxar Technologies show neighbourhoods destroyed by Israeli air raids

Satellite view shows the Palestinian city of Beit Hanoun in May and October 2023. Reuters

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Satellite images show the true extent of the devastating bombing of Gaza.

Israel retaliated to the surprise October 7 attacks by Hamas with air strikes on nearly every part of the Palestinian enclave.

The satellite pictures from Maxar Technologies show now-unrecognisable neighbourhoods with residential buildings destroyed and shops and businesses reduced to piles of rubble.

The pictures show the flattened neighbourhood of Al Karama and the towns of Beit Hanoun and Atatra in Gaza's north.

The UN said on Thursday that "nowhere is safe" in Gaza after Israel stepped up its air raids in preparation for an expected ground offensive.

“People are left with nothing but impossible choices," said Lynne Hastings, UN humanitarian co-ordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory.

“Nowhere is safe in Gaza.”

More than 6,500 Gazans already have died in Israel's aerial assault, according to Gaza's health ministry.

The ministry said on Wednesday that more than 750 people had been killed over the previous 24 hours, with 704 killed the previous day.

About 1.4 million people – more than half of Gaza's population – have been displaced, the UN said.

EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on Thursday were expected to call for "humanitarian corridors and pauses" to get urgently needed aid into Gaza.

The European Council called for “continued, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access and aid to reach those in need" said the final draft of a text to be approved at a summit in Brussels on Thursday.

"The European Union will work closely with partners in the region to protect civilians, provide assistance and facilitate access to food, water, medical care, fuel and shelter, ensuring that such assistance is not abused by terrorist organisations."

Israeli tanks and infantry launched a raid into Gaza overnight, striking numerous targets before retreating to home soil, Israel said on Thursday.

The Israeli military said "soldiers located and struck numerous terrorists, terror infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch posts, and operated to prepare the battlefield".