The massive reworking of southern Gaza’s population and landscapes-1: the new Tel Sultan compound

This report and dataset describe one area of intensive Israeli military earthworks activity subsequent to the end of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on March 18, 2025. It focuses on the surroundings of a compound of 81,000 m2 (81 dunam) in the very northwest corner of the Gaza strip (marked as object 1 in the inset box in Figure 1 below). The activity in southern Gaza—including this area in particular —are significant in light of the declared new phase of Israeli army efforts following after the renewal of full-scale conflict on March 18. As described here, this phase new phase of the war, as sweepingly outlined by Israeli government officials, including intensive ground, air, and sea attacks, the relocations of populations to the southern part of the Gaza Strip, and more permanent occupation by Israeli forces, as described below. The rapid progress and the high level of clearance and leveling, the new access road, and the strategic positioning of this compound all suggest it is intended to take on a significant role in the intended next phase, possibly related to aid distribution and population sorting and separation. Given the considerable chaos and churn in overarching development and Israel’s announcements, it is important to examine actual developments on the ground for a more solid sense of Israel’s intentions and commitments. This is the intention of the maps and data in this document and accompanying files, which will be updated and augmented as developments warrant. This continues a series of reports and deposits of geospatial data related to Israeli military activity in the Gaza Strip providing up-to-date spatial inputs requested by international humanitarian NGOs, Gazan residents, and the media.