Since the ceasefire established in October, a precarious calm has reigned in the Palestinian enclave devastated by two years of war. Some businesses have reopened but Israeli bombings have not completely stopped in Gaza and the majority of the two million inhabitants live in makeshift shelters. Testimonials.

Published on: 05/02/2026 - 15:54

Heba has the feeling of being a miracle “returned from a horrible nightmare”. Since the establishment of the ceasefire in Gaza on October 10, this 48-year-old Gazan has been trying as best she can to resume a semblance of normal life with her family.

But the anxiety is permanent. "We don't feel safe. Today we had access to food, but tomorrow? Nothing is guaranteed, war could return and we are constantly on the alert," she laments.

Despite the truce, humanitarian aid is still trickling into the Palestinian enclave and Israeli strikes have not completely stopped. More than 520 Palestinians have been killed there since its entry into force, according to the latest report from the Gaza Ministry of Health communicated on February 4.

Also read: Israel bans MSF in Gaza, a “pretext to prevent aid”, reacts the NGO

“We lack everything”

Four months after the end of massive Israeli bombings, which left more than 71,000 dead – a toll now recognized by Israel – almost nothing has changed in Gaza. Most of the two million inhabitants remain confined to the southern and central coastal areas, representing less than 40% of the total territory, due to Israeli military operations and buffer zones imposed by the Jewish state.

More than a million people there need emergency housing assistance, according to the UN. Most live in simple tarpaulins or tents provided by United Nations agencies.

This is the case of Salma* and her family, forced in April to flee their home, which was on the Israeli yellow line, separating the part declared "inhabitable" by Gazans from that controlled by the Israeli army. They found refuge in an overcrowded camp in the Al-Zawaida district, in the center of the enclave. “There are a lot of families here. Those who can’t find space settle on the beach,” she explains. “Food, water, medicine… we lack everything and every day is an ordeal” laments the young woman. Her only connection to the world is her phone, which she recharges in a nearby café.

Life in the rubble

In an attempt to escape the winter cold, wind and heavy rains which caused flooding in several camps, some Gazans took refuge in destroyed buildings, sometimes leading to disasters.

In December and January, at least 25 Palestinians died in building collapses, according to Gaza's health ministry.

Sobhi decided to take this risk. "Life in the tents is not a life. We lived in the middle of pollution, surrounded by rubble, abandoned. The children do not go to school. There are no words to describe this reality."

After the truce, the 30-year-old left the camp with his family and returned to his home in Sheikh Radwan, in the north, one of the areas most affected by Israeli strikes. "Our neighbor almost died two weeks ago when his house collapsed. She needed metal reinforcements, he tried to alert but found no help. We live in the same conditions. There is nothing here. Every day we have to find water to survive."

Also read Access to water: a vital issue for Palestinians

In Gaza City, where more than two thirds of the buildings were destroyed by strikes, it is still possible to rent a few rare apartments that are more or less habitable, at prohibitive prices. “For 1,500 shekels per month (480 euros) you can find partially damaged accommodation, sometimes without windows and most often without access to electricity or water,” explains Heba. “For undamaged and functional apartments, it takes three times more.”

A humanitarian worker for the French organization Médecins du Monde, Heba managed to find accommodation to shelter her family. A luxury that a tiny minority of Gazans can afford.

Also read: In pictures: the desolation of Gaza City seen by a drone

Currency crisis

Since the ceasefire, a few supermarkets have reopened, as well as open-air markets offering products almost exclusively imported through the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings, strictly controlled by Israel.

Partially reopened since February 2, the Rafah crossing is currently limited to people.

Food prices, which had experienced a real explosion during the war, fell sharply. A box of eggs today costs around 25 shekels (6.8 euros), six times less than at the peak of the crisis. In the same way, the price of rice – today 10 shekels per kilo or 2.75 euros – has been divided by ten.

But these prices remain out of reach for most Gazans, who no longer receive an income and are entirely dependent on humanitarian organizations.

Almost all agricultural land and livestock were destroyed by the strikes, as well as more than half of the wells. Added to this is a currency crisis, because cash has become a rare commodity in the enclave.

“Some banks have reopened, but only for administrative activities and the ATMs are not working,” explains Heba. "The only money circulating dates from before the war. Not everyone has a bank account. Some lost their savings during the strikes and find themselves with nothing."

“In Gaza, the economy has collapsed. We have no money or work, nothing has changed for us since the ceasefire,” asserts Salma.

Also read: Israel – Gaza: a heavy economic price after two years of war

An “unimaginable level of violence”, even in Gaza

After two years of wandering through the Gaza Strip, following evacuation orders from the Israeli army, Heba resumed her full-time activity within the Doctors of the World organization. She coordinates the activity of seven first aid clinics, overwhelmed by the influx of patients, particularly for respiratory, intestinal, skin and liver infections, due to disastrous health conditions and overcrowding.

“I see this work as a mission. I survived this atrocity and I must continue it to help my loved ones. No one could imagine the level of violence we experienced, not even in Gaza, where life was already difficult,” she emphasizes. Heba hopes, without really believing in it, that the borders will reopen to see her sons, students in Jordan and Turkey.

In the Al-Zawaida camp, Salma feels condemned to a dark future. "Life is impossible here, all our memories have disappeared, destroyed by the bombs. I try to keep hope that things will improve in one way or another. It has to be if only for my family. That's all we have. The hope of one day finding a dignified life."

*The name has been changed at the request of the person. Contact with those interviewed in Gaza was facilitated by the organizations Médecin du Monde and Dignité International.

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