Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians remain displaced, many residing in makeshift tents on bare ground or crowded into damaged buildings without consistent access to water, electricity, healthcare, or sanitation.
Winter rains have worsened conditions, flooding shelters and turning camp pathways into mud.
Fragile hope
Amid destruction, displaced families express fragile hopes for stability, safety, and the chance to rebuild lives interrupted by conflict with the new year.
Standing by her tent, Umm Rabee’ Al-Malash called for increased international involvement.
“The Palestinian people must be supported as they have endured immense suffering,” she told our correspondent. “Help us rebuild the Gaza Strip, bring about peace, and allow us to have a State where we can live in peace and security.”
Falling behind
The impact on children is among the deepest scars of the war for parents. Schools in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, depriving thousands of months of learning.
Wafaa Al-Khawaja expressed her concerns for the next generation. “I wish that, just as the rest of the world lives, we could live the same way.
“Our children today have no education or anything else,” she said, describing their days as focused on finding food, water, and warmth.
In northern Gaza, displacement has separated families from homes and livelihoods built over decades.
Turn back the clock
Kamal Abu Hsheish, originally from the Jabalia camp, wishes only to return to his pre-war life. For now, daily reality in the camps imposes severe humanitarian conditions on thousands of families.
Aid agencies warn that relief efforts face growing challenges, including damaged infrastructure, restricted access, and the vast scale of need.
Our children today have no education or anything else
Reconstruction, they say, will require sustained international commitment once conditions allow if the Gaza peace deal can progress to the next stage.
As Gaza’s displaced population marks another year’s start – with no return to their old life in sight – hopes remain tied to an end to violence and meaningful political progress on the 20-point plan which established the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in early October.
Until then, families wait, enduring loss and uncertainty, while clinging to the belief that the coming months may finally bring safety, dignity, and the possibility of going home to rebuild.
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