Forensic Architecture creates interactive map to show the "compounding effect" of attacks on Gaza

Research group Forensic Architecture has developed an interactive map depicting the destruction of buildings, infrastructure and aid in Gaza, which it claims reveals patterns in Israel's military conduct.

Forensic Architecture conducted independent research using data from open sources and third-party organizations to create the interactive platform titled A Cartography of Genocide, which features a map of Gaza with different layers of information related to Israeli military action from 7 October 2023 to 16 September 2024.

Some of the map layers include evacuation areas, ground invasion areas, attacks on aid routes, and the locations of damaged and destroyed buildings, roads, agriculture and water resources. It also gives details on the dates and locations of airstrikes, with links to online sources verifying the attacks.

The recent war in Gaza was triggered on 7 October 2023 when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. In Israel's retaliating military campaign, more than 43,400 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestine's Hamas-run health ministry.

On 14 November, the UN Special Committee released a report stating that Israel's warfare in Gaza "is consistent with the characteristics of genocide". However, Israel claims its military activity in Gaza is justified and has repeatedly denied that it amounts to genocide.

Forensic Architecture designed the interactive platform so different types of information on the map can be turned off and on, layered over one another, and seen changing over time by a sliding timberline bar, aiming to reveal how different types of attacks are connected and their combined impact on Gaza.

"We hope the interactive map helps people understand that the different forms of violence inflicted on Palestinians in Gaza do not occur in isolation," Forensic Architecture told Dezeen.

"Rather, they have a compounding effect: for instance, the engineered famine is caused by the destruction of local food sources like agricultural land and bakeries, which in turn is aggravated by the blocking of aid and attacks on aid convoys and warehouses."

"Additionally, the map highlights the widespread, repetitive, and systematic nature of the attacks on various aspects of life in Gaza," Forensic Architecture continued. "For example, by simultaneously toggling on the layer showing the Israeli ground invasion and the layer showing the status of hospitals over time, users can observe that hospitals are systematically forced out of service as the ground invasion progresses."

"This layered perspective provides a clear visual representation of the interconnected nature of these seemingly disparate acts of violence."

The interactive map was launched alongside a report named A Spatial Analysis of the Israeli Military's Conduct in Gaza since October 2023, in which Forensic Architecture analysed quantitative data it collected on Israeli military conduct in Gaza and pattern findings from its maps.

The group claimed that visualising the data helps form connections between different attacks and gives a better overview of the effects of the war on the built environment.

"Genocide is often revealed through patterns and relationships," said Forensic Architecture. "Visualising data on a map enables us to trace connections between different forms of violence, such as the destruction of agricultural land and the forced displacement of civilians into less fertile parts of Gaza."

"Maps and 3D models are central to our work because violence is inherently spatial, and modern wars are predominantly urban," it continued.

"These tools allow us to analyse the relationship between urbicide (the targeted destruction of urban areas) and ecocide (environmental destruction), providing a comprehensive understanding of the war's compounded impacts."

Forensic Architecture used data from sources such as UNICEF, OpenStreetMap, UNESCO, UNOSAT and Airwars to map the destruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza from 7 October 2023 to 6 July 2024.

The group found that 91 per cent of cultural sites had been attacked, including 10 damaged and 30 destroyed out of a total of 44. It also found that 82 per cent of government buildings had been attacked, 81 per cent of university facilities, 80 per cent of religious institutions and 75 per cent of schools.

From its analysis of map patterns, the group claimed that "strikes correlated with the time at which a higher density of civilians would be expected to be present", concluding that "Israel's attacks on civilian infrastructure suggests an effort to destroy the ability to sustain civilian life and disrupt civilian access to critical infrastructure".

Forensic Architecture plans to continue its research and update the map platform as the war continues.

On 17 November, the BBC reported at least 34 people had been killed in an Israeli airstrike on a residential block in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, and the week prior at least 25 people were killed in a strike on a house in Jabalia.

"We are currently working on an update focusing on recent events in Jabalia and northern Gaza, where there has been an intensification and acceleration of military tactics previously used by the Israeli military, this time aimed at enforcing large-scale displacement from the north," said Forensic Architecture.

"We have been documenting and mapping patterns of displacement and attacks on aid and medical infrastructure over the last year, and in the last few weeks alone, we have observed not only a repetition but an escalation of these same acts of violence being carried out in one concentrated area at a time."

"We expect that if these attacks are successful in displacing the remaining civilians in northern Gaza, the Israeli military will move on to Gaza City next," Forensic Architecture added.

The group is also considering extending its research to Lebanon. The BBC recently reported that in the past year of Israel's war against Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, 3,840 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Lebanon.

"Although we haven't started research on Lebanon yet, we have discussed its importance as a team," said Forensic Architecture.

"We already see similar patterns and tactics being employed by the Israeli military, such as attacks on medical infrastructure, the issuance of evacuation orders to displace civilians, and the imposition of new systems of spatial control on affected territories."

"Given these parallels, we recognise the critical need to extend our work to Lebanon and potentially other regions," it added.

The images are by Forensic Architecture.

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