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Forensic Architecture

@ForensicArchi

Sep 9

NEW INVESTIGATION: Between 24 and 28 August 2023, a fire caused by a leaking petrochemical tank at the Marathon Petroleum refinery in Garyville, Louisiana waxed, waned, and reignited, producing a thick plume of toxic smoke that spread for miles over neighbouring communities. Authorities claimed that the incident was contained to the site. Suspecting a cover-up, residents asked us to investigate: forensic-architecture.org/investigation/…

Marathon’s facility in Garyville is one of the largest refineries in the western hemisphere. Residents of ‘fenceline’ communities, which directly border this and other facilities across Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’, are forced to breathe some of the most toxic air in the US. FA previously worked with @risestjames and @project_descend to investigate the construction of industrial facilities atop unmarked Black cemeteries: forensic-architecture.org/investigation/…

With @guardian, we interviewed residents of the fenceline communities that border the Marathon site. Despite officials’ assurance that the naphtha leak and resulting fire were ‘contained’, local residents reported a strong chemical smell resembling ‘burning oil’ or ‘burning plastic’ over the course of the incident.

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Forensic Architecture

@ForensicArchi

Jun 21

Our joint investigation w/ @earshot_ngo and @AJFaultLines into the killing of 6-year-old Hind Rajab, her 4 cousins, her aunt and uncle, and 2 paramedics on 29 Jan 2024 challenges the Israeli Army’s claim that troops weren't in the area that day.
forensic-architecture.org/investigation/…

Hind and 6 family members, fleeing invading Israeli forces, left in the early hours of 29 Jan from a home in the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood of Gaza City, driving north.

Hind’s mother, Wissam Hamada, witnessed shots being fired at the car from an intersection to the north of the home. Many Israeli military vehicles—in a shape and size consistent with Israeli Merkava tanks—are visible in satellite images of the intersection from that day.

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Forensic Architecture

@ForensicArchi

Jun 1

Israel claims that the poorly worded 24 May ICJ ruling gives it license to continue attacking Palestinians in Gaza, if it warns civilians to evacuate combat zones and move to safe 'humanitarian zones'. But we have geolocated three strikes within areas Israel suggested were safe.

https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1787347748737421635

On 6 May, Israel told civilians in Rafah to evacuate to an 'expanded humanitarian area'. But Israel had contracted the safe area in the south, where it had previously told civilians to move. On 26 May, Israel killed 45 people sheltering in tents there.

https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1787347748737421635

This continues a pattern of confusing, misleading, imprecise instructions from Israel. Families under fire receive contradictory messages about where to go for safety. Such ‘Cartographic Terror’ was detailed in our 7 March report ‘Humanitarian Violence’. content.forensic-architecture.org/wp-content/upl…

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Forensic Architecture

@ForensicArchi

May 24

Responding to the 17 May @CIJ_ICJ hearing, we assessed Israel’s actions re: provision of aid, shelter & safe passage to civilians. Findings suggest Israel is not only neglecting its humanitarian duties, but actively destroying conditions of life in Gaza. bit.ly/inhumane-zones

In anticipation of today’s order from the @CIJ_ICJ, we are sharing our analysis on Israeli military actions since 6 May 2024—when the long-threatened invasion of Rafah began—in view of patterns of Israeli military conduct since 7 Oct 2023. Summary of findings follow:

1. By 6 May, the ‘humanitarian zone’ in al-Mawasi was unequipped to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of existing evacuees, let alone the further 1.5m Palestinians directed to evacuate to there from Rafah following the invasion.

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Forensic Architecture

@ForensicArchi

Mar 29

NEW INVESTIGATION: Since Oct '23, the Israeli military has systematically targeted agricultural land and infrastructure in Gaza. To mark Land Day in Palestine, we present our analysis of this widespread destruction as an act of ecocide that supports Israel’s genocidal campaign.

We used remote sensing to measure the scale of agricultural destruction by comparing the region’s ‘vegetation index’ before and after the ground invasion. Our analysis reveals that as of Mar 2024, ~40% of the land in Gaza previously used for food production has been destroyed.

Agricultural infrastructure has also been targeted in the present invasion. Our analysis reveals that since Oct 2023, ~1/3 of Gaza’s greenhouses have been destroyed. We identified >2000 sites where entire farms were uprooted, often replaced by Israeli army earthworks.

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Forensic Architecture

@ForensicArchi

Mar 13

NEW INVESTIGATION: Since 7 Oct 23, the Israeli army has weaponised humanitarian measures such as ‘evacuation orders’, ‘safe routes’ & ‘safe zones’ to support their military operations & facilitate the mass displacement of Palestinians.

View the platform: gaza.forensic-architecture.org/displacement

Our analysis reveals how Israel's systematic displacement of Palestinians, towards areas already rendered unliveable by attacks on critical civilian infrastructure, has occurred in three phases.

Read our full text report here: content.forensic-architecture.org/wp-content/upl…

Phase 1 began 13 Oct, when the Israeli army ordered 1.1M Palestinians in the area north of Wadi Gaza to evacuate within 24h. A new 'border' checkpoint on Salah al-Din Street enforced the new north/south divide and prevented displaced Palestinians from returning.