Since the ceasefire in Gaza at the end of last October, a fragile calm has prevailed in the Palestinian Strip after two years of war. Some shops opened their doors while the sporadic Israeli raids did not stop. About two million Gazans live in primitive housing or expensive tents.

Published on: 02/11/2026 - 16:23

After the ceasefire on October 10, Heba feels that she has escaped a “horrific nightmare” in the Gaza Strip. This 48-year-old woman says that she is trying to return to normal life with her family amid the piles of rubble left by the war.

However, Heba's anxiety continues and she says: "We do not feel that we are safe. Today we get food, but nothing is guaranteed tomorrow. The war could return at any moment."

Despite the truce, humanitarian aid reaching the Gaza Strip is scarce and Israeli raids have not stopped, as 520 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire, according to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Health in Gaza on February 4.

Three months after the intense Israeli raids stopped, which claimed the lives of 71,000 Gazans in a toll that Israel acknowledged was accurate, nothing has changed in the Gaza Strip. About two million people are crowded into narrow areas in the center and south of the Gaza Strip, in lands that represent only 40 percent of the area of ​​the already small Palestinian enclave, while the buffer zones imposed by Israel continue to exist.

Under the roar of the "Zanana" (Israeli drones), we called Muhannad, 26 years old, married, living with his parents and siblings in the same tent in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, 1.5 km from the yellow line where the Israeli forces are present, and 400 meters from their old, destroyed house. Communication with him quickly stopped after his phone battery died, and it took three hours for us to be able to contact him again.

“Waiting after waiting for water and food”

Muhannad says that the family has lost everything and is living on food aid at distribution points. He adds: “We spend our day waiting after waiting in lines, waiting to get food, waiting to get food tickets, waiting to get water.”

More than a million people need urgent aid, according to the United Nations, most of whom live under tents provided by UN agencies.

Read also: Gaza: “Half the population lives in worn-out tents”

This applies to Salma and her family, who fled in April 2024 from her home located on the Israeli yellow line that separates the areas “populated” by Gazans from the areas controlled by the Israeli army. Salma's family took refuge in a crowded camp in the Al-Zawaida neighborhood in the central Gaza Strip.

“There are many families here, and those who cannot find a place settle on the beach,” Salma says. “We lack everything, including food, water, and medicine, and every day that passes for us is a test.” What connects Salma to the world is only her phone, which she charges in a nearby café.

“Life in tents is not life”

To escape the harsh winter cold, winds, and heavy rains that caused floods in the Strip, some Gazans took refuge in destroyed buildings where some tragedies occurred. In December and January, 25 Palestinians died after building collapses, according to the Ministry of Health.

Sobhi decided to take a risk and live in one of these dilapidated buildings. He says: “Life in tents is not life. We live in the midst of pollution and rubble. Children do not go to school. There are no words to describe this reality.”

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After the truce, this man in his thirties left with his family and returned to his home in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in the north, which was one of the most destroyed areas as a result of the Israeli strikes. "Our neighbor almost died two weeks ago due to the collapse of his house. The house needed iron reinforcement. He tried to make his voice heard but did not receive any help. We live in the same conditions. There is nothing here. We must find water every day so that we do not die of thirst."

As for Muhannad, even having a tent to protect against the wind and cold of winter has turned into a dream. "The price of a tent ranges between $700 and $900, and 90 percent of the families who live next to us sleep under improvised plastic tents." He added: "I stand today in front of the rubble of my house, and I see not only stones, but an entire lifetime scattered before my eyes. Three of my brothers died in the bombing that destroyed our house, and they left behind young children."

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In Gaza City, Israeli raids destroyed two-thirds of the buildings. “For 1,500 shekels a month (480 euros), it is still possible to rent apartments that are still relatively fit for living, or to find a partially destroyed building with sometimes no windows, no water, and no electricity,” says Heba. “As for undamaged apartments, you must pay three times the price.”

A problem with liquidity and commissions for external transfers

After the ceasefire, some shops opened their doors, in addition to some markets offering goods at exorbitant prices after passing through the Kerem Shalom or Erez crossings, where Israeli control is strict.

As for the Rafah crossing, which was partially opened on February 2, only the movement of individuals is allowed there so far.

Food prices fell after the ceasefire. A carton of eggs today costs 25 shekels (6.8 euros), six times less than in wartime. The price of a kilogram of rice also fell to 10 shekels (2.75 euros), ten times less than previously.

However, these prices remain beyond the means of Gazans who have no income and live only on aid from humanitarian organizations.

The vast majority of grazing and agricultural areas were destroyed by the Israeli army, and the same applies to more than half of the wells. All this amid a severe cash crisis in light of the shortage of securities in the sector.

Here Muhannad returns to say: “Even if we are able to obtain direct donations from outside the Gaza Strip, they must be sent to someone in Turkey and he transfers them to someone in Gaza before they reach the person concerned. 20 percent of their value is deducted from the transfer in exchange for the service.”

"Memories destroyed by bombs"

“Some banks have opened their doors, but only for administrative activities, and ATMs are not working,” says Heba, who has resumed her work at the French “Doctors of the World” organization. “The only money in circulation dates back to the pre-war period. Not everyone has a bank account. Some people lost all their savings in the strikes and have nothing today.

Heba works in a clinic affiliated with the organization, and says that she receives a large number of patients suffering from respiratory, skin, and intestinal diseases in light of the catastrophic health conditions and the crowding of people.

In Al-Zawaida camp, Salma and her family face a bleak future. She says: “Life is impossible here. All our memories have been destroyed by bombs. All we have is the hope of having a decent life one day.”

As for Muhannad, he says: “As the sun sets, we sleep in the hope that tomorrow will be less harsh, because every day is harder and tougher than the day before.”

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