Since the onset of Gaza’s siege and occupation in 2007, Israel has repeatedely targeted civilian infrastructures, most notably, water and sanitation, housing, and power to prevent Palestinians from meeting their basic needs and services. Urbicide as a tool of urban warfare is aimed at disrupting the public lives of urban populations, creating mass destruction, devastation, and displacement. This is particularly evident in the Israeli blockade and siege of the Gaza Strip where in each of its hostilities, it has committed acts of urbicide through airstrikes, bombardments, and other warfare tactics that target civilian infrastructure.
Israeli assaults have caused devastating material, physical, and humanitarian consequences on the living conditions of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Urbicide have led to the destruction of water and sanitation infrastructures such as water treatment plants and pipes which has forced many Palestinians to live without clean and safe water. The destruction of homes has led to the displacement, loss of life, and psychological trauma of thousands, leaving many unable to live safely. Additionally, damage to power infrastructure undermined Palestinian access to services such as cooking, safe drinking, treatment, and health services that rely on electricity.
Urbicide highlights the importance of looking at these consequences as systematic, and as devastating both in the short and the long run. This report calls for accountability for the systematic targeting of civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip and advocates for international efforts to address urbicide as a violation of human rights. Israel, as the occupying power, is significantly complicit in urbicide and must be held to account. Furthermore, addressing urbicide requires urban reconstruction through local and international aid that meets the needs of and centers the Palestinian communities affected.
I learned how to effectively gather and evaluate information from diverse sources, identifying reliable materials and integrating them into my work. This has strengthened my ability to conduct thorough research.
Writing the report allowed me to improve my ability to clearly express complex ideas, ensuring that my arguments were well-structured and supported by evidence. The revision process taught me the importance of clarity and precision in academic writing.