With bulldozers and explosives, Israel has demolished residential houses, agricultural land, schools, and mosques in eastern Gaza, according to Amnesty.
"The houses have not been destroyed due to intense fighting. Rather, the Israeli military has intentionally destroyed the area after taking control of the zone," says the organization's Erika Guevara-Rosas in a report.
Satellite images and videos published by Israeli soldiers show that large areas along the eastern border of Gaza towards Israel have recently been emptied of both people and buildings, writes the human rights organization in the report. The expanded buffer zone – where over 90 percent of the buildings have been completely or partially destroyed – covers an area equivalent to around 16 percent of the war-torn strip, according to Amnesty.
Amnesty is calling for an investigation into Israeli war crimes for what the organization calls "reckless destruction and collective punishment".
Israel has repeatedly stated that it is destroying "terror infrastructure" to protect communities on the Israeli side of the fence towards Gaza.
