The observatory’s statement came after the BBC, citing the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth and satellite imagery, reported that Israeli forces had demolished more than 1,500 buildings in areas they control inside the Gaza Strip — including zones beyond the so-called “yellow line” — since the ceasefire was declared.

The BBC said whole neighbourhoods had been levelled in less than a month and noted the actual number of destroyed buildings could be higher.

While some Israeli sources confirmed demolition operations, they rejected the BBC’s suggestion that these actions violated the terms of the truce, saying the strikes targeted resistance infrastructure.

Al-Azhar Observatory said such justifications mask deeper objectives. The statement argued that the demolitions are presented as military measures but in practice are used to justify targeting civilian infrastructure, create buffer zones and “entrench a new occupation reality.”

The observatory added that the campaign of destruction functions as “a tool of collective punishment,” intended to break the will to resist and to dismantle the Palestinian economic and social fabric.

The observatory’s remarks were delivered amid growing international scrutiny over post-ceasefire damage across Gaza and competing narratives from Israeli officials and international media about the scope and purpose of the demolitions.

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