Even as a ceasefire continues in Gaza, the suffering of the Palestinian people under the Israeli blockade has not eased. Hunger, cold, a shortage of medical care, and the constant threat of bombings have pushed Gaza to the brink of a full humanitarian disaster.
According to a report by Al Jazeera on November 3, 2025, despite the ceasefire brokered by the United States, Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have not stopped. The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that at least 236 people have been killed and over 600 injured in the past month alone. Hospitals in Gaza continue to recover bodies from collapsed buildings, with at least six people confirmed dead in the past 24 hours.
The Health Ministry also reported that more than 500 bodies have been pulled from the rubble of destroyed buildings since the ceasefire began, victims of Israel’s ongoing airstrikes and bombings.
In a recent statement, Israel’s Prime Minister’s office confirmed that three Israeli soldiers’ bodies had been returned via the Red Cross, in exchange for the bodies of 15 dead Palestinian prisoners, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) accused Hamas of stealing humanitarian aid from a truck in southern Gaza. However, no evidence has been provided to support this claim, and Gaza’s government media office has denied it, calling it a false and politically motivated accusation meant to discredit the Palestinian authorities.
Gaza’s hospitals are facing a severe crisis. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 16,500 patients in Gaza require specialized medical care but are unable to receive it due to the blockade. Recent United Nations reports show that thousands of wounded Palestinians have been treated abroad, with Egypt accepting nearly 4,000, the UAE taking in 1,450, Qatar 970, and Turkey 437. In Europe, Italy has treated 201 people, but thousands more, including 3,800 children, are still waiting for medical help abroad.
As winter sets in, displaced people in Gaza are struggling to survive in makeshift shelters. Due to the blockade, construction materials are banned from entering Gaza, leaving many people to build homes with whatever they can find. Some use rubble, mud, and stones to create shelters, though these provide little protection against the cold, rain, and insects.
Khaled al-Dahdoh, a 42-year-old resident of Gaza City, explained to Al Jazeera, “Winter is coming, so I’ve tried to build a shelter. There are no tents, no cement, so I’ve used bricks from the rubble and mud to make a temporary house. At least it keeps us a little bit protected from the cold, bugs, and rain.”
His relative, Saif al-Bayek, has also tried to build a shelter, but without the necessary materials, he could not complete it. “The whole area has turned into rubble. I’ve used whatever stones I could find to build walls with mud. But the roof is uneven, and water leaks through the cracks,” he said.
Alessandro Mrakic, a representative of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Gaza, described the situation as grim. “Due to the lack of construction materials, people are forced to use ancient methods to build shelters. This is their only way of surviving.”
Aid organizations have warned that as temperatures continue to drop, the situation in Gaza will only get worse. Even with the ceasefire in place, the people of Gaza are still facing extreme hunger, freezing temperatures, and the constant fear of more attacks. They are surviving in a state of constant uncertainty and fear, with no end to their suffering in sight.
