‘Neither war nor peace’: Palestinians in Gaza on existing amid disease, despair and ruins

Three years after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel, the Gaza Strip remains a landscape defined by profound loss, systemic ruin, and a precarious existence that defies simple categorization. While a ceasefire was established in October 2025, the promise of stability has largely failed to materialize, leaving nearly 1.8 million Palestinians—roughly 86% of the population—trapped in a cycle of displacement and inhumane living conditions. For survivors like Ahmed Ishtaiwi, who clings to a few battered plastic chairs as the only physical remnants of a former life, the current reality is a haunting limbo between the memory of home and the harsh, rubble-strewn present. Despite the cessation of large-scale military operations, the enclave remains fractured, with vast swaths of territory rendered uninhabitable and the daily threat of violence persisting along shifting military boundaries known as the 'yellow line.' Humanitarian agencies report that the situation is far from a return to normalcy, as infectious diseases, malnutrition, and the collapse of basic infrastructure continue to plague the displaced. The reconstruction of Gaza, if it ever begins in earnest, is projected by experts to take decades, leaving hundreds of thousands of families to face the prospect of indefinite life in squalid tent camps. As the international community grapples with the aftermath of the conflict, the people of Gaza remain caught in a state of 'neither war nor peace,' where the struggle for survival has become the only constant in a shattered society. The psychological toll is equally immense, as families attempt to replicate the routines of their past lives within the confines of makeshift shelters, using schoolbags or household items as fragile anchors to a world that no longer exists. With medical facilities barely functional and essential supplies restricted, the humanitarian crisis has evolved into a chronic condition, challenging the resilience of a population that has been displaced multiple times over the course of three years. The ongoing instability, coupled with the lack of a clear political horizon for the 'day after,' ensures that for most Palestinians in Gaza, the trauma of the last three years remains an inescapable, daily reality.