Widespread Destruction Leaves Gaza Residents Without Homes
Following a prolonged period of conflict, the Gaza Strip is grappling with a severe housing crisis. The extensive damage, estimated to be in the tens of billions of dollars, has translated into a critical human predicament, with numerous families lacking basic necessities like water and electricity, children residing in inadequate tents, and unsanitary conditions prevailing amidst the rubble. According to United Nations reports, over 92 percent of residential properties in Gaza have sustained damage or been entirely destroyed as a direct consequence of the war.
Individuals and families are improvising shelters wherever possible, setting up tents on the remnants of their former homes, sealing off compromised mosques with plastic sheeting, or constructing temporary dwellings from any available materials. The Palestine Shelter Cluster indicates that at least 850,000 people are in urgent need of shelter assistance, lacking even fundamental supplies such as plastic sheeting, rope, and plywood.
Ongoing restrictions imposed on the entry of crucial materials, essential for the replacement, repair, and reinforcement of shelters, are significantly hindering humanitarian organizations' ability to provide aid on the necessary scale. It is important to note that shelter needs were already substantial following a six-month blockade that preceded the October 2025 ceasefire.
Personal Accounts of Loss and Resilience
The human toll of the conflict is evident in the testimonies of those directly affected. Mu'ayyad Sa'id, a father of three, currently resides in a damaged mosque in Gaza City. Unemployed and struggling to provide for his family's fundamental needs, he reflects, “Losing both work and housing have compounded the suffering of war.”
Salah al-Tawil, another resident, shares his experience: “I have lived through many wars, but I have never seen one like this. It has consumed everything. The most painful thing about this war has been losing the right to have a home.” Salah and his family endured multiple displacements during the conflict before returning to their devastated home in Maghazi. Over two months, he painstakingly cleared debris and undertook repairs, even crafting clay bricks by hand to reconstruct a portion of his house.
Youssef Mahmoud Aziz, displaced from Jabalia in northern Gaza, now lives with his family in a damaged school in Gaza City’s Remal neighborhood. He observes, “Even basic things, such as having a roof over your head, enough food to eat, and sending your kids to school, have become difficult dreams to achieve in Gaza City.”
Challenges and Ongoing Struggles for Displaced Families
The severity of injuries and the ongoing struggle for daily life are also stark realities. Nibal al-Hissi, a young mother, lost both her arms in an Israeli shell strike. She now lives in a tent at a displacement site in eastern Gaza, where routine tasks like feeding herself, dressing, and caring for her child present immense daily challenges. “I wish I could hold my daughter, feed her and dress her like all mothers in the world do,” she laments.
Ali Harb and his wife continue to reside in the basement of their damaged home in Gaza City's Yarmouk neighborhood, despite the constant apprehension of structural collapse. “I have nowhere else to go,” Ali states, highlighting the lack of safe alternatives.
Mohammed Jamil Diab, along with his wife and three children from the Shujayea neighborhood, has been displaced over 20 times during the war. They currently shelter in the basement of a damaged mosque in the Remal neighborhood, living with persistent uncertainty about their future. Mohammed describes their existence as “a daily struggle for survival.”
Ahmed Qwaider, a farmer from Bani Suheila, lost both his home and livelihood, being displaced to an emergency shelter in western Khan Younis. He poignantly remarks, “The first and last chapter of the pain we have lived through in this war is the loss of our home. A person can only truly feel comfort and peace in their home.”
Hope Amidst Despair
Rami Azmeila, a father of seven from Jabalia refugee camp, endured the loss of two sons in a missile strike. His family now shelters in a makeshift tent atop a damaged building near Gaza City. Despite his profound losses and injuries, he struggles to comprehend the ongoing suffering. “Losing my sons, the constant displacement, my injuries … all of this is beyond what any human being can bear.”
Rani Al-Fayoumi, 25, displaced from the Shujayea neighborhood, now lives with his family in a tent on a mosque roof in Remal. He expresses a longing for normalcy: “Sometimes I imagine myself returning to my home as it was, without fear or displacement, just a normal life like anyone else.”
Zakaria Aqel, from Jabalia refugee camp, emphasizes the fundamental importance of home: “Home is the first homeland, the place that holds all the peace in the world. A person without a home is a person without an identity.” After numerous displacements, Zakaria and his family found some stability in a shelter in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood.
Suhail al-Yazji, from Gaza City’s Yarmouk neighborhood, now supports her family alone after her husband’s injury. She resides in a damaged tent next to the rubble of her former home, noting, “If I had known our lives would be turned upside-down like this, I would have held on to every moment we had.”
Amina Saadallah, a mother of six who lost her husband, lives with her children in a flimsy cloth tent. She states, “It’s not easy being both a mother and father to a large family, but I have no choice but to continue, for the sake of my children.” Similarly, Asmaa Shtewi, a former theatre actor, now faces the challenging role of being both mother and father to her two daughters in tents at Gaza Port. She affirms, “I try with all my might to provide a decent life for my children. I defy displacement and the dire economic situation.”
The perseverance of families like Dina and Donia Salem, sisters who lost their husbands and homes, highlights the ongoing struggle. After more than 20 displacements, they found refuge near the coast in southern Gaza, striving to remain strong for their children. Saeed Diab, a father of 10, bears the burden of securing food and necessities for his large family in makeshift tents within a collapsing building in Remal, reflecting on the immense challenges of displacement and loss of livelihood.
Source: Original Article
