In Gaza, the destruction wrought by more than a year of conflict has left much of the population grappling with profound displacement and loss. According to the United Nations, nearly 80 percent of buildings in the enclave have been destroyed or damaged during the recent hostilities, which followed a Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. The Israeli military’s subsequent offensive resulted in widespread devastation across Gaza, with local health officials reporting at least 74,000 fatalities, a figure that does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

Many Gazans now live in makeshift accommodations, including tent camps, as intact homes are scarce and often unaffordable. Saeed Kafarneih, 21, recently married Nermeen Abdul Hadi in such a displaced persons camp in central Gaza. The couple’s wedding, modest and held within a tent donated by a Pakistani aid group, was a rare moment of celebration in an environment marked by hardship. To fund the event, Kafarneih worked several months taking odd jobs and selling donated aid items. Despite restrictions on movement caused by high fuel prices and security risks, the couple’s ceremony proceeded with nearby family and friends, highlighting how Gazans seek moments of normalcy amid crisis.

Economic activity in Gaza remains severely constrained. Nivin al-Ashqar, a beekeeper in the northern town of Jabaliya, has struggled to revive her honey business after nearly 400 hives were destroyed during the fighting. Now tending a handful of surviving hives near the heavily militarized border, al-Ashqar faces shortages of essential supplies and the constant reminder of the enclave’s limited freedom of movement, with many areas effectively off limits due to the Israeli military presence. Her efforts to rebuild reflect a broader pattern among Gazans—returning to small-scale trades under difficult conditions despite ongoing insecurity and economic blockade.

Carpenter Mohammad Abdelhadi, once part of Gaza’s middle class, illustrates the daily challenges faced by many families. With his workshop destroyed, he and his wife live in a tent with their nine children, relying on water trucks for drinking water and paying to charge phones at nearby generators. Many of Abdelhadi’s children have missed out on schooling since the conflict began, and he worries about their future amid the persistent scarcity of essential services.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire, with people attempting to maintain daily life’s routines and rituals, even as they confront displacement, economic hardship, and the threat of further violence. The lack of a ceasefire or political resolution, and restrictions on goods and movement, continue to limit prospects for recovery in the region.