Once a place of refuge from the enclave’s busy streets, Gaza beach has now been transformed into an Israeli military stronghold.
An image released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) shows tanks and bulldozers massed on the northern seafront’s sands below blown-out apartment buildings. A scattering of troops can be seen guarding the area.
Prior to the war, the beach was a popular destination for Palestinians of all ages, who frequently flocked there in large numbers during summer months to relax in the sun, play and swim in the Mediterranean Sea.
It offered an escape from the enclave’s hot, dusty city centres, made even more uncomfortable by frequent long power outages.
