A senior UN human-rights expert has condemned the widespread destruction of residential buildings in Gaza, describing it as a deliberate campaign that forms part of the broader genocidal war. He argued that the scale and nature of the demolitions amount to a targeted attack on the right to housing, leaving entire communities without shelter or security.

He explained that the authorities responsible for the strikes often claim that homes were used for military purposes but rarely provide proof. Instead, he said, neighbourhoods have been levelled in ways that appear indiscriminate, stripping families of their property, their stability and any hope of rebuilding. According to him, the pattern reflects a serious breach of international humanitarian law and could constitute a crime against humanity.

Over the course of the two-year genocidal campaign, almost 300,000 housing units have been flattened and roughly 200,000 more have been rendered uninhabitable. The destruction has forced nearly two million people into makeshift shelters and degraded tents that offer little protection from the elements. With entire districts reduced to rubble, residents continue to face severe humanitarian conditions and an increasingly uncertain future.