Israel weighs expanded Gaza op as photos show scale of destruction

New aerial photos of the Gaza Strip have laid bare the magnitude of the destruction in the enclave, showing row upon row of shattered buildings interspersed with mounds of rubble and huge tent encampments

New aerial photos of the Gaza Strip have laid bare the magnitude of the destruction in the enclave, showing row upon row of shattered buildings interspersed with mounds of rubble and huge tent encampments.

The images were captured from a Jordanian military aircraft during a recent aid airdrop over Gaza, and come as Israel weighs expanding its military operation in the densely populated Palestinian territory ahead of a crucial security meeting Thursday.

It is not known what parts of Gaza are shown in the photos, which were taken by Salah Malkawi on Wednesday for Getty Images.

In one image, a tent village sits on a sandy patch of land. Bright blue tarps dot a sandy beige landscape full of rubble and brown and gray ruined structures. Here and there, flattened buildings fill entire city blocks.