Ceasefire between Israel and Hamas: what remains of Gaza and its population? | Israeli-Palestinian conflict News

A ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas is set to take effect on Sunday (January 19), after a deal was announced Wednesday to end Israel’s devastating assault on the Gaza Strip, which has lasted since 15 months.

The three-phase deal includes a temporary ceasefire, the release of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners and the return of displaced Palestinians, although many homes in Gaza have been destroyed.

So why are Palestinians returning to Gaza?

What remains of the population of Gaza?

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 46,707 Palestinians and injured 110,265, an average of 100 Palestinians killed each day over the past 467 days.

Gaza has an estimated population of around 2.3 million people, half of whom are children. This population has declined by six percent since the start of the war.

Over the past 15 months, Israeli attacks have killed two in 100 people in Gaza and injured five in 100. Some 11,160 people are missing, meaning one in 200 Palestinians in Gaza are missing – many are buried under more than 42 million tons of rubble. And 100,000 Palestinians left Gaza.

Around 9 in 10 Gazans have been displaced – and many have had to move several times since the war began.

But where should the displaced people return?

According to the analysis of American researchers Jamon Van Den Hoek and Corey Scher, at least 60 percent of all buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed.

Around 90 percent of Gaza’s population has been displaced, making it one of the highest rates recorded in modern conflicts, and for many their neighborhoods have been completely eradicated, including essential services such as hospitals and educational establishments. Not to mention the collapse of vital infrastructure such as sanitation systems and electricity services.

Some experts estimate that it will take at least a decade to remove the 42 million tons of rubble in Gaza.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as of January 14, half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals were partially functioning, 88 percent of schools had been damaged or destroyed, 92 percent of homes had been damaged or destroyed, and 68 percent of agricultural land was destroyed along with 68 percent of all roads.

How quickly was Gaza destroyed?

Israel carried out airstrikes on Gaza hours after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Israel began its ground invasion in the northern Gaza enclave, focusing on densely populated areas such as Beit Hanoon and Jabalia .

During the first month of the war, 15 percent of all buildings had been damaged or destroyed, with 34 percent and 31 percent of buildings in northern Gaza and Gaza City respectively damaged or destroyed as of November 10. .

By January 5, three months after the relentless bombardment of Gaza, almost half (44%) of Gaza’s buildings had been damaged or destroyed. The majority of damage was concentrated in the north, as by that time approximately 70 percent of northern Gaza and Gaza City had been destroyed.

Medical facilities were attacked by Israeli bombing and a ground invasion, which saw hospitals like al-Shifa in Gaza City surrounded by the Israeli army and cut off from people in need of emergency medicine and treatment.

Fifteen months after Israeli airstrikes, Gaza is a shell of its former self. It is estimated that almost 60 percent of all buildings have been damaged or destroyed, with the worst affected governorate being Gaza City, where 74 percent of buildings are in ruins.

What remains of Gaza’s schools?

As of August 2024, more than 625,000 school-age children in Gaza have spent a full year without formal education.

Gaza’s education system is in ruins after Israeli aerial bombardments. Many schools that remain standing are used as makeshift shelters for displaced families, further crippling their ability to function as educational institutions. Some 88 percent of schools, or 496 out of 564, were damaged or destroyed. According to OCHA, at least 503 teachers were killed and all university buildings in Gaza were destroyed.

Without infrastructure, personnel or materials, Gaza’s education system has effectively collapsed, raising the question of how it will be rebuilt and function again.

What remains of the houses in Gaza?

Entire neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble, leaving millions of people dependent on humanitarian aid for shelter and survival. This mass displacement and destruction of infrastructure highlights the monumental challenges Gaza faces in its reconstruction, raising urgent questions about the future of its population and the prospect of a return to some semblance of normalcy in their lives.

Some 92 percent (436,000) of homes are destroyed or damaged, in addition to 80 percent of commercial facilities. Additionally, nine out of ten Palestinians in Gaza are displaced.

What remains of Gaza’s hospitals?

Gaza’s hospitals are on the brink of collapse, having been repeatedly attacked and deprived of essential supplies, despite their explicit protection under humanitarian law.

This left many essential hospitals in Gaza out of service; only half of them are even partially functional, including only one in the entire northern Gaza governorate.

In January, Gaza health officials said Al-Aqsa, Nasser and European hospitals were at imminent risk of closure, after repeated Israeli bombings and blockades of supplies.

Restoring Gaza’s hospitals after a ceasefire would require a monumental effort, given that restoring electricity and clean water is essential. In some cases, hospitals will need to be completely rebuilt, while it will be imperative to secure essential medical supplies and specialized equipment – ​​which Israel has been deprived of during the war.

What remains of Gaza’s agriculture?

An estimated 68 percent of all agricultural land is now destroyed. Sentinel-2 satellite images captured a significant reduction in cultivated land, with northern Gaza suffering the highest proportion of damage by governorate, with more than three-quarters of agricultural land destroyed.

Additionally, much of the area’s livestock was killed and irrigation systems and other agricultural equipment were destroyed, making recovery difficult. The ground should first be cleared of rubble and unexploded ordnance and then treated for decontamination.

Rebuilding the agricultural center of Gaza will require significant financial assistance from international organizations.

What remains of Gaza’s roads?

According to UNOSAT data from August 2024, approximately 1,190 km (740 miles) of roads were destroyed in Gaza, while 415 km (258 miles) were severely affected and 1,440 km (895 miles) were moderately affected. This represents approximately 65 percent of the enclave’s total road network.