By [Your Name] | June 2025
Since the Hamas-Israel conflict first escalated on October 7, 2023, over 90% of Gaza’s estimated 2.3 million residents–more than 90%–have been uprooted from their homes at least once; many are uprooted repeatedly due to waves of violence intensifying into an unprecedented internal displacement crisis and compounding an already dire humanitarian situation.
Since the conflict began, an estimated 1.9 million Palestinians living in Gaza have been forcibly displaced from their homes at least once; these refugees have often found shelter from bombardments and ground operations by seeking sanctuary elsewhere (Reuters.com/ft.com, Wikipedia.org etc). The scale of displacement and housing destruction remains alarming (Reuters/FT/wikipedia).
According to OCHA (UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), over 85% of homes in Gaza have been either completely or significantly damaged due to Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire.
Satellite imagery shows that virtually every neighborhood was hit, flattening entire districts and leaving behind piles of rubble instead of residential structures.
Repeated Evacuations and Unstable Shelters Gazans have endured repeated displacement due to evacuation orders and shifting frontlines, with families often evacuated dozens of times only to be forced back out again by advancing forces (Human Rights Watch highlights cases such as these on its site). Human Rights Watch highlights cases where families sought safety in abandoned buildings, UN shelters or makeshift camps only to be pushed out again due to advancing forces (en.wikipedia.org; HRW;FT.com).
One resident shared his experience of moving 12 times in one year, documenting each transition with sketches that captured its emotional toll.
Humanitarian Consequences
Displaced populations now fill public buildings, tent camps, and undamaged structures as their health, water, and sanitation systems collapse around them (sources: Rescue.org and the Guardian). For more details see rescue.org + 4, and The Guardian +4 for updates
The UN reports that hundreds of thousands of tents were damaged over the winter season, leaving families exposed to cold, disease and flooding conditions.
Medical services are operating beyond capacity. Shortages of essential supplies, electricity cuts and damaged hospitals have drastically limited access to care; according to WHO estimates, 27 hospitals had closed by late 2023 with any remaining ones overwhelmed by casualties and disease outbreaks.
Food Insecurity and Public Health Risks Widespread destruction of infrastructure – such as bakeries and farms – has left Gaza’s food supply severely reduced, prompting warnings from UN World Food Programme and other agencies of potential famine conditions and more than two million people now facing emergency-level food insecurity, according to Wikipedia en wikipedia org
As fuel and aid deliveries lag, queues for aid have become deadly; over 50 Gazans were reported killed while waiting at distribution points (UNFPPA.ORG, Reuter’s.com and Thomson Reuter).
These dire conditions have contributed to outbreaks of communicable disease. Contaminated water, overcrowding, and poor sanitation have caused diarrheal outbreaks, scabies infestations, respiratory infections, particularly among children (90 percent exhibiting signs of anxiety or trauma, while many suffered acute malnutrition ).
Barriers to Reconstruction
Even following a tenuous ceasefire earlier this year, returning home remains a disappointment for many displaced families. They found their houses reduced to rubble and infrastructure destroyed beyond repair during this temporary truce period.
Clearing debris and rebuilding will require years and substantial funding: according to estimates by the UN, 92% of homes were either completely or severely damaged in Hurricane Maria, with estimated reconstruction costs reaching into billions, according to FT.com.
The Road Ahead
Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe ranks as one of the gravest globally. A new cycle of violence between Iran and Israel threatens to obscure their plight, while agencies warn that without immediate ceasefire, civilian protection, and sustained humanitarian access the displaced could become permanently entrenchment in crisis. Therefore the international community must urgently support efforts for ceasefire, facilitate safe returns to safety, as well as commit long-term rebuilding and recovery strategies for Gazans.