Satellite images show the scale of Gaza destruction

Satellite images depict the scale of destruction in Gaza following a series of Israeli airstrikes in response to an unprecedented attack by Hamas.

US space technology company Maxar Technologies on Tuesday published a fresh batch of satellite images showing the aftermath of recent airstrikes in and around the enclosed Palestinian territory of Gaza.

The update comes as the Israeli military said it is massing hundreds of thousands of troops near the Gaza border “to carry out the mission given to us” from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Israel is expected to launch a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip in an attempt “to ensure that Hamas does not gain any military capability.

Israel, which has pounded Gaza with airstrikes in recent days, has ordered a “complete siege” on the Gaza Strip, aimed at cutting off the supply of electricity, food, water and fuel to the besieged population of around 2.3 million people.

The counter-offensive against the Palestinian militant group Hamas follows a brutal and coordinated attack in southern Israel over the weekend.

As a result of the ongoing Israeli-Hamas war, at least 1,200 Israelis have been killed, with more than 2,700 injured, while approximately 950 people in Gaza have died, with 5,000 injured.