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3. Gaza: Two Years After the War, A Devastating Toll

Two years after Hamas launched its deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which claimed 1,219 Israeli lives according to AFP, the conflict continues to wreak havoc on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.

Of the 251 Israelis abducted during the attack, 47 remain in captivity in Gaza, including 25 who have since died, according to Israeli military sources. On the Palestinian side, the Israeli offensive has resulted in 66,148 deaths in Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

Military Situation

In addition to roughly 170,000 active-duty personnel, Israel has mobilized about 130,000 reservists for operations in Gaza. By July 2025, the Israeli Army had lost at least 887 soldiers since the start of the war, according to Al Jazeera.

Despite heavy casualties, Hamas has replenished its ranks throughout the conflict. US intelligence services estimated in early January that the group had recruited between 10,000 and 15,000 new fighters, though its current number of active combatants remains uncertain.

A September 2025 ACLED report (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data) indicates that the Israeli military has carried out more than 11,790 air and drone strikes, alongside at least 7,530 artillery, missile, and bombardment attacks in Gaza. Israeli forces have also engaged in at least 1,501 armed clashes, making Palestine the most dangerous place in the world, according to ACLED.

The Israeli Army currently controls 82% of the enclave, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Ground operations have intensified alongside aerial bombardments, signaling a shift from short-term raids to the establishment of a more permanent presence. In August, Israel launched an operation to capture Gaza City in the north and central refugee camps, considered the last remaining Hamas strongholds.

Hamas, for its part, relies on guerrilla-style tactics rather than direct confrontation, using improvised explosive devices, ambushes, and booby-trapped buildings. The group appears to retain operational capability, as seen in its August attack in Khan Younis, where it attempted to abduct Israeli soldiers.

Infrastructure

UN and NASA data analyzed by AFP indicate that at least 70% of buildings in the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed. As of April 4, 2025, the Israeli Army had damaged or destroyed 174,500 structures, according to UNOSAT, the UN’s satellite analysis service, generating an estimated 53.5 million tons of rubble.

The debris poses serious health risks. In July, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) estimated that 3.7 tons of asbestos from older buildings and 2.6 tons of toxic waste from industrial facilities remained in the rubble. Several densely populated refugee camps – including Jabaliya in the north, Nuseirat and al-Maghazi in the center, and Khan Younis and Rafah in the south – lie close to debris potentially contaminated with asbestos.

Gaza’s healthcare system has been crippled. As of June 30, only 18 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals, or 50%, were partially operational, and fewer than 40%, 63 of 163 health facilities were capable of providing care, according to the UN. The World Health Organization (WHO) described the Israeli attack on al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest medical center, as leaving it a hollow shell with graves.

The education sector has also suffered massively. By April 4, UNICEF recorded that 501 of 564 schools had been damaged, meaning nearly nine out of ten. Of these, 95 were severely damaged, and 406 suffered direct impacts.

Gaza’s electricity supply, already limited before the conflict, has collapsed entirely. Prior to the war, the network provided an average of 12 hours of power per day, according to OCHA. By 2024, the network was no longer operational at any time. Fuel shortages caused the sole power plant to shut down early in the conflict, while power lines from Israel were cut.

NASA’s Black Marble project shows that only one area retained pre-war levels of illumination: the Philadelphi Corridor, the narrow strip of land along the Egyptian border controlled by the Israeli Army.

Health Crisis

According to an analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) published in late August, over 500,000 people in Gaza, or more than 25% of the population, are facing famine. An additional 1.07 million people, representing 54%, are in emergency conditions, while 396,000 people, or 20%, are experiencing crisis-level food insecurity.

The humanitarian catastrophe is driven by repeated displacements, restricted aid access, and shortages of water and medical supplies. After blocking all humanitarian assistance in March, Israel gradually allowed aid to enter from May onward, though the volumes remain widely considered insufficient by the UN and humanitarian organizations. According to UN reports, 98% of cultivated land in Gaza is damaged or inaccessible, and 90% of the population has been repeatedly displaced from their homes.

The WHO reports that Gaza’s health system has sharply deteriorated. Access to safe drinking water and sanitation services has drastically fallen, multidrug-resistant infections are on the rise, and morbidity rates for diarrhea, fever, acute respiratory infections, and skin infections have reached alarming levels among children.

International Justice

In May 2024, International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan requested that the Trial Chamber issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as for Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh, citing alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Proceedings against the Palestinian leaders were later dropped following their deaths.

In December 2023, South Africa filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing it of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza under the 1948 Genocide Convention. The case is still ongoing.

 

Recognition of Palestine

During the 80^th United Nations General Assembly in September, several countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Andorra, and Belgium, officially recognized the State of Palestine.

The recognition came in response to the deteriorating situation in Gaza and was intended to advance the prospects of a two-state solution.

Trump Plan for Gaza

At the end of September, US President Donald Trump unveiled a 21-point peace plan aimed at ending the war in Gaza. During a joint press conference, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered conditional support for the proposal.

Under the plan, an agreement would halt the conflict, suspend Israeli military operations in Gaza, and secure the release of Israeli hostages as well as 1,950 Palestinians currently in detention. The proposal envisions a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, with governance temporarily transferred to a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee overseen by an international body, including Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Trump has also left open the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state, despite Netanyahu’s firm opposition, building on the recent recognition of Palestine by France, the United Kingdom, and other countries.