In Gaza, thousands of Palestinians are continuing to live new chapters of resilience and survival. This is despite the presence of some 60 million tonnes of rubble according to the most recent estimates. [1]
This time, with this level of destruction, it’s not only about enduring the blockade or scarcity of resources, but living inside what remains of their homes. Remember, these are structures reduced by Israel’s brutal airstrikes to cracked concrete, crumbling walls, and caved-in ceilings. They cannot easily be levelled and rebuilt.
So thousands of Palestinian families find themselves trapped, living inside above-ground graves left by the aggression. These are families whose homes have become a threat in themselves, constantly worried that death may come from the very place they once sought safety.
Numbers beyond imagination
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), approximately 436,000 housing units in Gaza — around 92 per cent of all residences — have suffered total or severe damage as of June 2025. Among these, 160,000 units were completely destroyed, while around 276,000 remain in critical condition, rendering them unsafe for habitation. [2]
Entire families including children, women, and the elderly, are being forced to live in these collapsing structures, trapped between a lack of safe alternatives and rising rental costs amid the loss of livelihoods.
Resilience during suffering
Umm Islam, 35, living in al-Shati refugee camp, says,
Every night we hear the ceiling creak. Night-time is terror for us. When we lay our heads on the pillow and see the cracks above, it feels as if it could collapse on us at any moment — or we might sleep and never wake up.”
In a dilapidated building in western Gaza, she and her family of nine, including four children, live in a house that now resembles a deserted battlefield after Israeli airstrikes in May 2024 severely damaged its exterior walls and ceiling, which seem ready to collapse.
With her voice trembling and eyes full of tears, she adds,
Every night before we sleep, we hear the ceiling groan and crack, as if we hear the echoes of the bombing again. The children wake terrified at every loud sound. Where can we go? This is our only home — a ticking time bomb.”
On al-Nasr Street, Abu Muhammad and his family live in a house nearly erased from the map.
He says,
The house has become a ruin; every column is leaning, every wall has cracks. But there is nowhere to go. My children are small, and my mother is elderly — she cannot live in tents. Where do we all go?”
His wife, Umm Muhammad, adds with a pale and tired face:
Last night, part of the ceiling fell next to the children’s bed. This is not the first time, and probably not the last either.”
Daily life for them involves carefully moving furniture, supporting beams under the ceiling, and carrying children away from any weakened areas.
The situation of Abu Muhammad’s family reflects the suffering of thousands of other families in Gaza. Despite this, such families persist in staying — not out of extraordinary courage (of which they have an abundance) but the absence of alternatives.
Facing death head-on
It is no surprise that Gaza is a city on the brink of collapse.
Children hide in constant fear, mothers watch the ceiling groan above their heads, and fathers carry their families through complete faith in Allah. This is the crisis of thousands of lives, thousands of hearts crying out for protection, and thousands of screams waiting to be heard before these would-be graves take their martyrs.
Gaza continues to put society and international law to a direct test of human conscience. Every passing day is a test of survival for these families. And every small attempt to restore life among the rubble is to confront a harsh reality: that safety and stability remain distant dreams, and the debris bears witness to unending suffering.
Source: Islam21c
Notes
[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr5e4ee9r13o
[2] https://www.ochaopt.org/sites/default/files/Gaza_Reported_Impact_Snapshot_25_June_2025.pdf
