As the one-year mark of the conflict in Gaza approached in October 2024, Reuters set out to produce a comprehensive report examining the full extent of the damage and the staggering volume of rubble.

Two-thirds of Gaza’s buildings had been damaged or destroyed, leaving behind 42 million tonnes of debris and a mountain of health risks.

Visualising the scale of destruction

This waste was projected to take 14 years to clear, according to the U.N. official overseeing the issue. To put it in perspective, this volume of debris would fill the Great Pyramid of Giza over 11 times.

To make these figures resonate with readers, we prioritised clear, impactful visual representations. We incorporated advanced 3D data visualisation techniques, leveraging Three.js and “instancing” (a method commonly used in gaming) to efficiently render over 125,000 buildings and illustrate the true extent of the destruction.

Instancing was crucial for performance, allowing us to display thousands of building models simultaneously without sacrificing speed or smoothness, especially as readers interacted with the visualisation.

By comparing Gaza’s damaged structures with Manhattan’s building inventory (using New York Department of Buildings data), we provided readers with a powerful sense of scale and context.

Building density quickly became a key discussion point, prompting further calculations and an added step to redistribute Manhattan’s buildings to match the visualisation of Gaza’s structures.

Breaking down the health hazards

The destruction in Gaza goes far beyond broken buildings; explosive weapons and demolitions have released massive clouds of dust, posing serious health risks both during active conflict and ongoing cleanup efforts. Refugee camps have been particularly hard hit.

The U.N. estimates suggest around 800,000 tonnes of debris from these camps may be contaminated with asbestos and require specialised handling as hazardous waste.

According to UNEP, asbestos was found in debris from older buildings, temporary extensions, sheds, and livestock facilities. Exposure to asbestos fibres can cause serious health complications, including lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis, which may not appear for decades after exposure.

To ensure the approach matched the tone of the content, we chose a monochromatic, pencil-style digital drawing technique. The illustrations are intentionally imperfect — with loose strokes and raw textures — to give a more human, relatable feel. This approach helps soften the delivery of hard data and harsh realities, making the information more accessible without diminishing its seriousness.

As with any illustration work, the process began with preparatory sketches. These early drafts are essential for exploring composition, narrative tone, and emotional direction. 

For the diagram explaining the effects of asbestos on the lungs, we followed a similar process. This time, we used the portrait of a Gazan girl to anchor the illustration in a real human context. The goal was to go beyond anatomy and statistics — to show the personal impact of environmental hazards in a war-torn region.

Maintaining accuracy and impact

Although these illustrations were created digitally, they retain the spirit and texture of hand-drawn work. This style of visual storytelling aims not only to inform but also to connect — to bring the reader closer to the human stories behind the data.

In a project like this, where the subject matter is heavy and complex, illustration becomes a bridge between information and emotion.

One of the most demanding aspects of this project was ensuring the illustrations felt authentic and powerful on the page. Reuters’ extensive visual archive on the conflict was instrumental in this process. Photographs, field reports, and documentation provided the necessary references to build scenes that were both accurate and emotionally grounded.

Using satellite imagery

Satellite imagery played a crucial role in our coverage. We relied on high-resolution images from Planet Labs to accurately assess the extent of destruction across Gaza. These visuals allowed us to track changes over time, pinpoint areas of severe damage, and verify data from other sources.

These visuals helped illustrate just how much the landscape of Gaza has changed. We presented before and after satellite imagery from three different locations in Gaza, scaled to each other for accurate spatial comparison, consistency, and to help avoid misinterpretation. We also aligned them at the centre for easy visual comparison of images of different dimensions.

Based on a comprehensive damage assessment done by UNOSAT, we also mapped the locations of Gaza’s eight refugee camps. We documented the extent of structural damage in each, showing how densely packed neighbourhoods have been transformed into landscapes of rubble.

Again, scale was necessary here, so we paid careful attention to how the maps were sized and arranged.

One of the first challenges we faced was the lack of an accurate, freely available geospatial data for all the refugee camps. So we compiled it from scratch, layering information from satellite imagery, building footprint data from OpenStreetMap, and location attributes embedded in the damage assessment data.

Once we had the camp boundaries in place, we used the footprint data to reveal just how densely packed these areas were. Then, we overlaid the damage assessment data to pinpoint buildings that were destroyed or damaged. To complement the dark background of the page and establish a clear visual hierarchy, we chose a light orange colour for destroyed buildings and a darker orange for damaged ones, guiding the reader’s eye from the most severe impact to the less severe. 

Final thoughts and challenges

In covering a story as complex and emotionally charged as Gaza, there’s always the temptation to dig deeper, to explain more, to chase every thread. This was the case when examining the rubble angle.

But sometimes the strength of a visual story lies in its restraint ± knowing when to stop, what to leave out, and how to focus the narrative provides maximum clarity and impact.

Reuters published several graphics-driven explanatory Gaza stories, from the bombs in the sky to the tunnels below ground. Each one stood on its own, answering distinct questions and offering a unique lens.

We believe powerful storytelling isn’t about saying everything, but about saying the right things, the right way.

Overall page design and colour choices were important too. All graphics were rendered in greyscale with striking orange accents, echoing the stark on-ground visuals of towering debris piles.

By combining rigorous data analysis, compelling visuals, and a focus on lived experiences, our coverage aims to present not only the facts of Gaza’s devastation but also the urgent challenges that lie ahead.

Additional writing by Vijdan Mohammad Kawoosa and Adolfo Arranz.

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