Impact of the 2014 Conflict in the Gaza Strip UNOSAT Satellite Derived Geospatial Analysis 6MeThodolOGy Contributors Narjess Saidane Support Team 8DAMAGe Carolina Jorda, Celia Navarro, Einar Bjørgo, Francesco Pisano, Harry Kendall, Lars Bromley, Manuel Fiol, Olivier van Damme, Robert Wilson, Samir Belabbes, Vanessa Guglielmi, Wendi Pedersen. ASSeSSMeNT The report has been produced with the kind contribution of the Government of Denmark. BUIlDINGS, STrUCTUreS Disclaimer & CraterS The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the United Nations Institue for Training and Research (UNITAR). The presentations and the designations employed do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on heAlTh the part of the cooperating divisions concerning the legal status of any country, FACIlITIeS territory, city or area or of its authorities, or of the delineation of its frontiers or 12 boundaries. Mention of a commercial company or product in this report does not imply endorsement by UNITAR. eDUCATIONAl UNOSAT is a program of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research 14 FACIlITIeS (UNITAR), providing satellite imagery and related geographic information, research and analysis to UN humanitarian and development agencies, their implementing AGrICUlTUrAl partners and Member States AreAS This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educa- 18 tional or non-profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. UNITAR would appreciate receiv- ing a copy of any material that uses this publication as a source. 22 2009-2014 This work by UNITAR/UNOSAT is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Copyright © United Nations for Training and Research (UNITAR), 2014. 24 CONClUSIONS Preface UNDP/PAPP During the summer of 2014, a devastating conflict again took place in the Gaza More than one month has passed in Gaza since the open ended cease-fire of 26 Strip and surrounding Israeli territories. Operation Protective Edge was launched on August, following a 50 day military operation which killed more than 2,131 Pales- 8 July by the Israeli Defence Forces in response to rocket fire from the Gaza Strip tinians, of whom 501 children, and 71 Israelis. By the end of August, over 475,000 into Israel. The conflict lasted for 50 days, until 26 August, when an open-ended people in the Gaza Strip had been displaced from their homes, unable to return cease fire came into effect and was respected. The United Nations and Palestinian to their destroyed neighborhoods. As Pierre Krahenbuhl, Commissioner-General Authorities were providing humanitarian aid to the affected civilian population in the of UNRWA highlighted on 14 July 2014, “behind the figures lie multiple individual Gaza Strip, in particular to those whose homes had been destroyed or those who destinies now torn apart”, a reality no number can translate. What the numbers can lived in neighbourhoods likely to be affected by attacks from ground or air forces. do however, is assist in effectively responding to the expectations of the people of Gaza “for an improved future for their children”, at a time where all are now focused The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) contacted UNITAR’s Opera- on the prospects for sustainable recovery and reconstruction. tional Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT) to assist with damage assess- ments during and after the conflict. UNOSAT’s Rapid Mapping service worked In this regard, the present report offers a credible basis for assessing the damages closely with the UNDP Crisis Response Unit and the UNDP Programme for Assis- for reconstruction. This builds on UNOSAT’s ability to provide satellite images and tance to the Palestinian People (PAPP). Close coordination and collaboration also analysis from the start of the conflict, thus assisting the United Nations, the Pales- took place with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near tinian Government and the donor community to evaluate the situation and plan out East (UNRWA), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN further interventions. In this regard, the information provided by UNOSAT’s analy- OCHA) in Jerusalem and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). As ses supported the planning and implementation of the large scale, on the ground, an example, UNOSAT sent a representative to Jerusalem and Gaza in preparation damage assessment. The latter, facilitated by UNDP/PAPP under the leadership for the study presented here and to learn how the results can best contribute to the of the Palestinian Government is still ongoing, aiming to provide the information forthcoming reconstruction efforts. needed for future response and reconstruction, structure by structure, over the entire Gaza Strip. On the ground works entail proper documentation and costing The use of satellite imagery has now become the norm during humanitarian crises. of all damages, including for structures that have suffered lighter damages, which This technology provides information over areas not possible to assess due to satellite imagery cannot capture. security restrictions or simply logistical challenges. This was also the case when UNOSAT’s Rapid Mapping service was activated for the Gaza Strip. Our standard Notwithstanding the fact that all damage may not be visible from above, the report damage assessment methodology was applied using commercially available high provides numbers which already support an informed analysis of the type of damage, resolution satellite imagery analysed by a team of experts in Geneva. Analysis its extent and its geographical location. Beyond the absolute numbers, the analy- results were provided to sister agencies and made available online for download sis also provides the most critical comparison of some of the damages incurred, from our public website as soon as they were ready. between the 2008-2009 Cast Lead operation, and the most recent 2014 Protective Edge. At a time where priorities are being set, this information will no doubt enable The study published here takes as input the results from our Rapid Mapping service the Palestinian Government and its international partners to further refine their and looks at the geo-spatial distribution of damage, as well as overall statistics for understanding of the actual needs for the sustainable development of Gaza. what has been observed using the imagery. The findings are fully objective as they are based solely on scientific imagery analysis and not reports from any of the Narjess Saidane conflicting sides, nor third party information. Deputy Special Representative of the Administrator In addition to the results presented in this study, UNOSAT is currently working with UNDP PAPP, Palestinian Authorities, UNRWA and UN OCHA to provide our results in data and map formats for input to the planning, execution and analysis of the field based damage assessment. By combining the field assessment with our remote imagery assessment, the complete picture can be drawn. While field assessments cannot cover all damaged buildings during and immediately after the conflict, which UNOSAT assessment has, our remote assessment cannot detect damage not visible from above, such as holes in walls, destroyed windows etc. The two methods are thus complementary both in time and in level of assessment detail. The findings presented here provide key information for the upcoming donor confer- ence to be held in Cairo co-hosted by Egypt and Norway. The report has been produced Geneva, 30 September 2014 with the kind contribution of the Government of Denmark. Einar Bjørgo Manager, UNOSAT 5 in some imagery specific conditions, damage to the facade is also apparent. All UNOSAT DAMAGE damage originating from small arms fire, heavy machine gun fire, and direct tank ASSESSMENT: MeThODOlOGy The image above shows a small part of or artillery fire is generally not visible unless it results in some form of structural the UNOSAT damage assessment using satellITe imagery ANALYSIS collapse. Given these limitations and the inherently conservative nature of satellite the 28 August 2014 imagery. based damage assessments, the following classes of building damage were identi- Destroyed To assess damage in the Gaza Strip UNOSAT reviewed commercial high-resolution IMAGERY USED: fied by UNOSAT: satellite imagery and used specialized remote sensing techniques, resulting in General Damage Assessment: Severe Damage Three comprehensive damage assess- in-depth analysis of destruction and damage to residential and industrial buildings, ments (CDA) on the Gaza Strip using 1. Building Destroyed: all or most of the building structure is collapsed (75-100% Moderate Damage health and educational facilities, roads, and agricultural areas. These analyses, part imagery from: of structure destroyed). 6 July 2014 (prior to conflict) of UNOSAT Rapid Mapping activities, commenced on 24 July 2014, as combat was 2. Building Severely Damaged: a significant part of the building structure is Crater on Road 25 July and 1 August 2014 ongoing, and concluded on 24 September 2014, resulting in damage assessments 14 August 2014 collapsed (30-75% of structure destroyed). Crater in Field at multiple time intervals focusing on various infrastructure types. 27 and 28 August 2014 3. Building Moderately Damaged: limited damage observed to the building struc- ture (5-30% of structure damaged). Educational Facilities