AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program

In 2004, Human Rights Watch produced a report on the Israeli mass destruction of houses and infrastructure on the southwest edge of the occupied Gaza Strip, along the border with Egypt. From 2000 to 2004 the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) destroyed over 2,500 houses in this area, with 2/3 of those houses located in Rafah, a densely populated refugee camp and city adjacent to the Egyptian border.

As part of the preparation for this report satellite imagery was used to analyze damage done by the Israeli forces and to chronicle the destruction. Specifically, the imagery supplemented field research and interviews conducted by Human Rights Watch during July of 2004. The imagery used includes eight satellite photographs from the IKONOS satellite. Satellite images were provided by Imaging North America, Space Imaging Eurasia, Space Imaging Middle East, and Digital Globe.