Despite Ceasefire, Gaza Civilians Endure Hunger, Cold and Heavy Losses

Since the US-brokered truce, suffering continues across Gaza

Since a US-brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect last month, strikes and clashes have continued across the Gaza Strip. Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that at least 236 Palestinians have been killed and more than 600 wounded since the truce began.

In the past 24 hours alone, hospitals reported three further deaths and recovered three bodies from beneath collapsed buildings; another person died of injuries from earlier attacks, the ministry said on Sunday. Among the most recent victims, Gaza authorities said, was a man killed by an Israeli drone strike in the Shujayea neighbourhood in northern Gaza. The Israeli military said he had crossed the truce's so-called "yellow line" and approached troops, claiming he posed an immediate threat; the army did not publish evidence supporting that account.

The Health Ministry also said that since the truce began rescue teams have retrieved the bodies of 500 Palestinians from under the rubble of destroyed homes and buildings — casualties it attributes to the two-year conflict and ongoing bombardment that have left large parts of the enclave in ruins.

Separately on Sunday evening the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said on X that three bodies of deceased Israeli captives were received in Israel via the Red Cross. Under terms of the ceasefire, Israel is required to return the bodies of 45 Palestinian prisoners who have died — at a rate of 15 returned for each Israeli captive whose body was handed over.

Tensions over aid and contested claims

Tensions rose after United States Central Command (CENTCOM) released drone footage it said showed "suspected Hamas elements" looting an aid truck in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. CENTCOM did not provide independent verification with the footage. Gaza’s Government Media Office strongly rejected the accusation, calling it "completely false" and accusing Washington of spreading disinformation to damage the reputation of Palestinian security forces.

“This accusation is completely false and fabricated from its very foundation,” the Gaza Government Media Office said, adding that Gaza’s police are carrying out their duty to secure aid convoys despite repeated interference.

Hospitals overwhelmed and urgent medical needs

Hospitals in Gaza — already strained by months of war and blockade — remain overwhelmed. The World Health Organization reports that more than 16,500 patients in need of specialised treatment remain trapped inside the territory. A United Nations update showed that by September, Egypt had taken in the largest number of Palestinian evacuees for medical care — nearly 4,000 people — while the United Arab Emirates received 1,450, Qatar 970, and Turkiye 437. In Europe, Italy treated 201 patients; thousands more, including about 3,800 children, remain on waiting lists for urgent medical evacuation abroad.

Study highlights scale of human cost

A study published this week in The Lancet analysed 60,199 recorded deaths between October 2023 and July 2025 and estimated that Gaza has lost more than three million years of human life since the conflict began in October 2023. Authors Sammy Zahran (Colorado State University) and Ghassan Abu Sittah (American University of Beirut) calculated an average of 51 years of life lost per death, with the majority of victims listed as civilians; more than one million of those life-years were lost among children under 15. The researchers described their estimates as conservative and noted they excluded deaths indirectly caused by starvation, lack of medicine, and infrastructure collapse under the siege.

Winter approaching, families improvise shelter

With winter approaching, displaced families are scrambling to rebuild shelter despite severe restrictions on building materials. Al Jazeera correspondent Ibrahim Al Khalili reported from Gaza City that in neighbourhoods devastated by intense bombing, many households are reverting to traditional methods and salvaged materials.

Forty-two-year-old Khalid al-Dahdouh, a father of five, told Al Jazeera he and his family constructed a small mud shelter from salvaged bricks because they lack tents and cement. "We tried to rebuild because winter is coming," he said. "It protects us from the cold, insects, and rain — unlike the tents." His relative, Saif al-Bayek, described a similar attempt that stalled when usable materials ran out: "The whole neighbourhood is in ruins... the roof is full of gaps — if it rains heavily, water will come through."

Alessandro Mrakic, the UN Development Programme representative in Gaza, warned of severe obstacles to reconstruction and said many families are forced to rely on makeshift buildings because they have no other options. Aid agencies have cautioned that the humanitarian situation could deteriorate further as temperatures fall.

Ceasefire reduced large-scale bombardment but needs remain

Although the truce has paused wide-scale bombardments, civilians in Gaza continue to face hunger, homelessness and uncertainty. Aid, medical evacuations and reconstruction needs remain urgent, and many residents live with the constant fear that hostilities could resume.