Israeli Defense Minister Boasts of Total Destruction of Beit Hanoun in Gaza

Watan-On Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz posted an aerial photograph showing the total destruction of the city of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza, proudly declaring it had been “flattened.”

Posting on the platform X (formerly Twitter), Katz captioned the image:”After Rafah and Beit Hanoun… no refuge for terror” — echoing a policy of total eradication.

The aerial photo reveals vast expanses of rubble and ruin. Nothing remains of Beit Hanoun, which borders southern Israel, except scattered ruins and the skeletal remnants of buildings. The image starkly illustrates the scale of devastation inflicted on the area.

Beit Hanoun was one of the first areas invaded by Israeli ground forces at the start of the Gaza land offensive on October 28, 2023, and has since become a symbol of the war’s destruction. The ongoing war of annihilation has left over 195,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, according to Palestinian sources.

More than 21 months into the war, Palestinian resistance factions continue to launch ambushes in Beit Hanoun, inflicting casualties on Israeli forces — underscoring Tel Aviv’s failure to achieve total military objectives.

Just last Monday, the Israeli military confirmed that five soldiers from the “Netzah Yehuda” Battalion of the Kfir Brigade were killed and 14 others wounded, including two seriously, in a battle in Beit Hanoun.

An internal army investigation revealed that Hamas fighters detonated three explosive devices targeting an Israeli foot patrol in Beit Hanoun, then opened fire with automatic weapons.

Beit Hanoun sits along Gaza’s northern border, and for months had been under Israeli aerial and artillery fire control, with limited ground patrols operating inside and on its edges.

In recent days, the town has faced intensified Israeli airstrikes, part of a broader military escalation. On Tuesday evening, the Israeli army announced a full encirclement of the town.

On June 2, 2024, the Emergency Committee of Northern Gaza Municipalities officially declared Beit Hanoun a “disaster zone”, citing ongoing airstrikes, near-total destruction of infrastructure and vital services, and a collapsed humanitarian situation.

Before the war began, Beit Hanoun had a population of around 60,000 people and covered an area of 17,000 dunams (roughly 17 square kilometers).

The publication of the destruction photo by Katz comes as international criticism intensifies over Israel’s policies in Gaza, with growing accusations of genocide and a “scorched earth” campaign deliberately targeting civilians and basic life infrastructure — in what many legal experts deem a grave violation of international humanitarian law.