By seizing large swathes of the Gaza Strip, Israel is redrawing the map of the Palestinian territory, one of the most densely populated places on Earth, making it increasingly "unlivable." On Wednesday,

Israel now controls more than half of the Gaza Strip after destroying Palestinian homes and doubling the size of a military buffer zone since it broke a ceasefire last month. The land it holds includes a strategic corridor separating northern and southern Gaza,

The Palestinians seek an independent state in east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war. A two-state solution is widely seen internationally as the only way to resolve the conflict, but the last serious peace talks broke down more than 15 years ago.