Suffering Does Not End With A Ceasefire
Even if the ceasefire holds, the destruction for Gazans will have lasting impacts on livelihood, health, and the environment.
The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) released a report on Sept 23 which detailed the environmental devastation Gaza is currently facing: “The conflict has degraded water infrastructure significantly, including wastewater treatment and disposal systems, increasing the risks of groundwater contamination and further limiting the already scarce and low-quality supply of water to the population. This has significant impacts on already degraded ecological health and environmental human health.”
The UN declared the situation in Gaza a genocide in September of this year. According to this report, Israel’s security forces have committed four of the five genocidal acts as defined by the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
The most recent ceasefire began on Oct 10. Still, violence has continued with Israel attacking Gazans 39 out of the 48 days from the start of the ceasefire to Nov 26, resulting in 347 deaths according to Al Jazeera. Despite this, the US maintains that the ceasefire is holding. Israel has returned many bodies as outlined in the agreement and stated that the strikes are in response to ceasefire violations by Hamas.
Additionally, malnutrition continues, with many children missing essential nutrients according to a UNICEF report. This report shows that while the number of malnourished children under five has been decreasing since the 14, in August, it is still at higher numbers than in the last ceasefire in February.
Food prices have been dropping as aid has become available in Gaza, with 5,458 trucks reaching their intended destinations from Oct 10 to Nov 25, according to the UN Monitoring and Tracking Dashboard. However, this is less than the outlined 600 per day.
However, even if no more people are directly killed, and adequate food is released, the people of Gaza will continue to suffer.
The water infrastructure in Gaza has been damaged according to the UNEP report, leading to an increased risk of contamination and sickness. According to this report, the water infrastructure destruction has increased the risk of a cholera outbreak. This includes contamination of agricultural crops.
An assessment by the BBC estimates there could be over 60 million tons of rubble in Gaza as of October 2025, making it hard for the people to begin to rebuild the destroyed homes, schools, and hospitals.
Infrastructure for treating the sick is damaged, and people continue to have inadequate access to clean water. Many live in close proximity in tents during the winter months, when heavy rains and floods occur. The tents that many people now live in have been destroyed by this flooding, according to AP findings. The cesspits used for toilets have also overflowed due to the winter rain.
The suffering does not end with the end of direct violence. Rebuilding the infrastructure to secure food, shelter, water, healthcare, and education for the people of Gaza will take copious time and effort, even in the best-case scenario, which does not seem to be the current reality.
