More than one-tenth of Gaza's pre-war population has been killed or wounded by Israeli fire since Israel launched a large-scale military campaign against Palestinians in the strip in October 2023. Nearly every family is now grieving a loss or caring for the wounded, while most residents have been forced to move repeatedly to escape fighting and evacuation orders.
With virtually the entire population displaced, the coastal strip has in effect become one of the largest tent cities in the world. Makeshift shelters of canvas and plastic stretch across beaches, cover former farmland and fill empty lots.
The situation is unlikely to change soon. The 2025 "ceasefire" agreement ended the largest-scale assaults and the most intense bombardment, but Israel still regularly strikes tents, cars and buildings, killing women, children and other relatives.
People no longer have to flee from one place to another, but few can rebuild because Israel continues to bar most construction materials from entering Gaza. The large-scale reconstruction plan in the "ceasefire" agreement has stalled, as Israel and Hamas have yet to reach agreement on disarming the group and withdrawing Israeli forces.
