Gaza 'Reduced to Dust' — Doha Summit Pledges Clash with Humanitarian Reality

Gaza 'reduced to dust' as Doha summit reaffirms poverty pledge

For Gaza resident Yassir Shaheen, nights have been the worst part of living through Israel's devastating two-year campaign on the enclave. "Many nights we lay awake, our lips dry, our hearts pounding in fear, feeling as though the sky itself was collapsing on us," he told Al Jazeera.

The Gaza Strip lies in ruins. Its economy is shattered, infrastructure devastated, and millions remain displaced while a fragile US-brokered truce holds tenuously. Gaza's Health Ministry reports more than 68,000 Palestinians confirmed killed and an estimated 10,000 still buried under rubble.

Basic necessities remain scarce. Aid workers say food, medicine and shelter are in critically short supply. Prices, although lower than the conflict's worst moments, remain roughly six to ten times higher than before the war. On Thursday, Gaza's Government Media Office said Israel had allowed only 4,453 aid trucks into the Strip — about a quarter of the daily deliveries stipulated in the ceasefire agreement that began on October 10.

Physical devastation is near-total: UN estimates indicate that 92 percent of residential buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed since the fighting began on October 7, 2023, producing an estimated 55–60 million tonnes of debris. "Schools, clinics, shops, homes — everything that allowed life to function has been reduced to dust," Shaheen said.

"Living in displacement camps is one of the hardest things people are going through now. Most people have no real shelter, only thin, flimsy tents that barely stand against the wind. There’s no space, no privacy, no comfort." — Yassir Shaheen, Humanity First UK

At the UN Second World Summit for Social Development (WSSD) in Doha, member states renewed commitments originally made at the 1995 Copenhagen summit: eradicating poverty, ensuring decent work, promoting social inclusion, and guaranteeing education and healthcare for the most vulnerable. The Doha Political Declaration adopted at the summit was hailed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres as a "booster shot for development."

But aid organisations warn that global declarations cannot substitute for access, protection and political solutions on the ground. "Development is impossible while Palestinians are denied the most basic rights to safety, movement, and dignity," said Rohan Talbot, director of advocacy at Medical Aid for Palestinians. He described the health sector as "catastrophic," with severe shortages of equipment and medicine, and many healthcare workers killed or detained.

"No declaration, however eloquent, can substitute for the fundamental right to freedom and security. Development cannot flourish in isolation from justice and peace." — Aziz Hafiz, Humanity First UK

Humanitarian advocates say meaningful recovery will require enforcement of humanitarian law, sustained pressure to secure a permanent ceasefire, open crossings, and the unrestricted flow of aid and medical supplies. Gaza's Government Media Office reports at least 80 alleged ceasefire breaches by Israeli forces and says more than 240 Palestinians have been killed since the truce began.

Shaheen emphasises that rebuilding must go beyond bricks and mortar. "It is about rebuilding people’s lives, their sense of safety, and their dignity. They do not just want buildings to rise again, but life to return," he said. Local and international aid groups insist Palestinians must be empowered to lead reconstruction and recovery, with justice and accountability seen as central to sustainable peace.