Gaza War: October 7, 2023. That single day changed Gaza forever. On that morning, Hamas launched a sudden attack on Israel. Nearly 1,200 Israeli civilians were killed, and 251 were taken hostage.
The response came swiftly and brutally. Israel struck Gaza with relentless air raids. Missiles rained down on neighbourhoods packed with people. Streets that once echoed with laughter and the chatter of markets turned silent. Entire families lost their homes. Thousands of buildings collapsed.
More than two million people were left with nothing but tents and fragments of their past.
Two years have passed since that morning. Gaza remains broken. The city that once dreamt of a better future now breathes through dust and despair. Before the war, schools were open, children played in the streets and shopkeepers called out to customers. Today, only the wind moves through the ruins.
The numbers tell their own story. According to a United Nations report, nearly 80 percent of Gaza’s buildings are gone. The war has caused financial losses estimated at over Rs 4.5 lakh crore. More than 54 million tons of debris now cover the city. Experts say it could take at least 10 years just to clear the rubble. Rebuilding may cost another Rs 1.2 lakh crore.
A UN official estimates that Gaza needs about $52bn for rebuilding. Jorge Moreira da Silva, director of the United Nations Office for Project Services, told Al Jazeera that approximately $52bn will be needed to rebuild the strip.
Talks are underway about reconstruction. Reports suggest the United States is considering taking charge of Gaza’s rebuilding effort. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair may be tasked with shaping the plan. For now, it remains only an idea on paper.
The land itself has suffered. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation says Gaza’s soil is poisoned with explosive residues, three times higher than normal. Restoring fertility could take more than two decades. The once-fertile fields that fed families now lie lifeless, their crops replaced by craters.
The children of Gaza have lost more than homes. They have lost their childhoods. Schools that once rang with morning bells now stand in ruins. Nearly 90 percent of educational institutions have been destroyed. Before the war, Gaza had 850 schools and 10 universities. None remain functional now.
Hospitals, too, have fallen silent. Before the war, Gaza had 36 hospitals. Ninety-four percent of them are now damaged. Some have shut completely. Others operate without electricity or medicine. Doctors struggle to treat the wounded amid wreckage. Patients die waiting.
The toll of this war goes beyond numbers. More than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed. Among them, 18,430 were children. Every attack adds to a growing graveyard of dreams. More than 39,000 children have lost one or both parents. They now wander through rubble, clutching memories instead of toys, their eyes searching for a world that no longer exists.
And yet, beneath the dust, hope refuses to die. People still speak of rebuilding. They still believe in return. But can Gaza rise again from its ashes? Can the city once known for its spirit ever live again? No one knows the answer. People just keep trying to live in a place where staying alive itself is an act of courage.