Few outside journalists have been able to enter Gaza, but developments in satellite technology over the past decade have made it possible to accurately assess from space the destruction brought by the war in the small Palestinian enclave.
Some of the tools being used to track bomb damage in Gaza were developed to measure deforestation or damage following natural disasters.
In addition to taking bird’s-eye-view photos of rooftops and streets, satellites can aim radar at an angle, causing it to bounce off buildings and scatter in a way that allows operators to “see” not only rooftops but also the sides of structures. Computers can then compare it
