Amnesty International has urged a war crimes probe into Israel razing homes and farms in eastern Gaza to expand a so-called buffer zone between it and the Palestinian territory, AFP reports.

“Using bulldozers and manually laid explosives, the Israeli military has unlawfully destroyed agricultural land and civilian buildings, razing entire neighbourhoods, including homes, schools and mosques,” it said.

The London-based rights group said the levelling since the start of the bombardment on October 7 “should be investigated as war crimes of wanton destruction and of collective punishment”.

An Amnesty investigation, which examined satellite imagery and videos posted by Israeli soldiers between October and May, showed “newly cleared land along Gaza’s eastern boundary, ranging from approximately 1 to 1.8 kilometres wide”, the group said.

The expanded buffer zone covers around 58 square kilometres or about 16per cent of the Gaza Strip, it said.

More than 90pc of buildings within that zone appeared to have been destroyed or severely damaged, it said.

More than half of the agricultural land in the area showed “a decline in health and intensity of crops due to the ongoing conflict”, it added.

“Our analysis reveals a pattern along the eastern perimeter of Gaza that is consistent with the systematic destruction of the entire area,” said Amnesty’s Erika Guevara-Rosas.

“The homes were not destroyed as the result of intense fighting. Rather, the Israeli military deliberately razed the land after they had taken control of the area,” she added.

“Israeli measures to protect Israelis from attacks from Gaza must be carried out in conformity with its obligations under international law including the prohibition of wanton destruction and of collective punishment.”