Gaza’s olive harvest has collapsed after three years of war, with estimates suggesting output could fall to about 3,500 tonnes from more than 38,000 tonnes before the war. Around 89% of olive-growing land has reportedly been damaged, while the number of functioning olive presses has dropped from 39 to eight. Farmers and press owners also face restricted access to land, shortages of water, fuel, equipment and spare parts, and sharply higher operating costs. A 16-liter tin of olive oil that sold for roughly 400 shekels before the war now costs up to 1,500 shekels, or more than $480. If projected production is realized, local oil would cover only about 8% of Gaza’s estimated annual need, while widespread reliance on food aid leaves many residents unable to afford the higher prices.

Three years after the October 7, 2023 attack and the ensuing war, displaced Palestinians in Gaza’s Nuseirat camp fear that life in tents will become permanent. Residents describe inadequate shelter, lost income, food insecurity, scarce medicines, disrupted schooling and uncertainty about returning home. Despite the October 2025 ceasefire, Israeli attacks continued and services remained severely impaired. UN agencies warn of winter flooding, cold-related illness and unsafe buildings; hundreds of thousands of children lack organized education, while hospitals operate only partially. Gaza’s unemployment reached 78% in 2025, and an estimated 92% of economic establishments were damaged or destroyed. Reconstruction needs are estimated at $71.5 billion, while a $2.45 billion initial recovery plan faces uncertainty amid disputes between Israel and Hamas. For families, these plans remain distant from the urgent needs of shelter, healthcare, education and a dependable livelihood.

An estimated 86,290 households in Gaza—about a quarter of the total—are headed by women, roughly twice the pre-October 2023 share, and around two-thirds need urgent cash assistance. Interviews with women in Deir al-Balah and a 14-year-old girl in Nuseirat show how bereavement leaves them responsible for income, food, healthcare, housework and children’s education, often while caring for relatives with disabilities. UN data indicate that women-headed households face greater unmet shelter needs and more displacement than male-headed households. Aid agencies provide cash, protection and health-related support, but displacement, restrictions on access and shortages of funding limit assistance; the World Food Programme said it cut the value of July cash aid by 40% and warned of further reductions.

Gaza’s 2026/2027 school year began amid extensive destruction, with students returning to tents and makeshift classrooms, including at a school rebuilt on the rubble of a destroyed building in Nuseirat. Ministry plans use shifts and limited in-person days to accommodate hundreds of thousands of students, while many others rely on remote learning. Students and teachers describe overcrowding, heat, poor lighting, inadequate furniture, shortages of books, and concerns about winter weather. UNICEF says more than 93% of school buildings require major rehabilitation or rebuilding and that learning losses in basic literacy and numeracy remain significant and incompletely measured. Teachers and school leaders are trying to restore instruction, but years of disrupted education, limited facilities, and unequal access to learning resources remain major obstacles.

Fuel shortages, damaged roads and disrupted transport have pushed delivery workers in Gaza to rely increasingly on bicycles. Journeys that once took about ten minutes by motorcycle can now take half an hour or more, while heat, rain, rubble and poor road conditions increase physical strain and damage equipment. Workers may earn only 50–60 shekels a day, but a puncture can cost 30–40 shekels and larger repairs can exceed a full day’s income. Barq Delivery Company employs more than 50 people and continues recruiting amid scarce job opportunities, while an attempt to introduce electric bicycles was limited by charging costs. Delivery workers also face serious security risks: local reports said a Hamama worker and another man were killed in a strike on an electric bicycle, and the company’s manager reported dozens of worker deaths since the war began. Operators are calling for bicycle parts and repair supplies to be allowed into Gaza so the service and workers’ livelihoods can continue.

Displaced families in Gaza’s Nuseirat camp say food-aid parcels are repetitive, poorly suited to their needs and, in some cases, may contain spoiled or insect-infested items. COGAT argues that food entering Gaza exceeds calculated needs and cites videos, price declines and UNICEF data to dispute claims of widespread shortage. The World Food Programme responds that availability alone is insufficient: food must be diverse, nutritious and accessible to those who need it, while fresh foods generally require purchasing power. Nutrition data show persistent dietary problems, including low minimum dietary diversity among young children and continued risk of food insecurity. Many recipients prefer unrestricted cash assistance, but the WFP says funding shortages prevent it from expanding support to more families.

Displaced Palestinians living in tents across Gaza, particularly around Deir al-Balah, report increasingly frequent encounters with snakes, scorpions, rodents, and insects. Humanitarian assessments found rodents or external parasites in more than four-fifths of evaluated displacement sites, amid sewage, stagnant water, accumulated waste, overcrowding, and inadequate shelter services. The World Health Organization warns that temporary shelters and limited access to healthcare increase the risk of severe snake envenoming, while local medical workers say some injuries cannot be accurately diagnosed with available resources. Humanitarian agencies have expanded spraying, rodent control, waste management, and awareness campaigns, but continued access to supplies, antivenom, medical care, sanitation infrastructure, and debris removal remains necessary.

Gaza's water crisis has intensified as war damage, summer conditions, shortages of fuel and spare parts, and inadequate household storage leave most residents with irregular access to safe drinking water. Around three-quarters of residents rely on water tankers, while surveys found that many households receive less than the minimum six liters per person per day. Nearly 90% of water and sanitation facilities have reportedly been damaged or destroyed, forcing reliance on small desalination plants and tanker distribution. UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders and other partners provide substantial supplies, but production is declining and water transport remains dangerous. Israel denies deliberately targeting civilian water infrastructure and rejects accusations that restrictions amount to collective punishment; an Israeli strike near a desalination plant further highlighted the fragility of the remaining system. For displaced families, the crisis is compounded by a lack of barrels and containers to store water between deliveries.

Around 11,000 cancer patients in Gaza are reportedly deprived of much of their specialist treatment and diagnosis, including about 4,000 awaiting medical evacuation abroad. The destruction or closure of key hospitals, shortages of cancer medicines and diagnostic equipment, and disruptions to chemotherapy protocols have sharply reduced available care. The World Health Organization says an approved referral does not guarantee evacuation, which also depends on a receiving country, security approvals, and access to crossings. Patient testimonies illustrate worsening symptoms, severe pain, medication shortages, and long waits, while Gaza health officials and doctors estimate that several cancer patients die each day because of inadequate treatment. The article concludes that the need for care is growing faster than the capacity to evacuate and treat patients outside the Strip.

War, displacement, inflation and restrictions on imports have transformed mobile phones in Gaza from replaceable consumer devices into essential infrastructure for communication, education, digital payments, shopping and even lighting. Residents and repairers increasingly salvage screens, batteries and other components from multiple damaged phones because new devices and spare parts are scarce and unaffordable. Prices have risen dramatically, including for basic phones, batteries and chargers, while an iPhone 17 Pro Max has sold for thousands of shekels amid limited supply and alleged informal smuggling routes. The crisis builds on pre-war restrictions on telecommunications equipment and has been intensified by damage to networks, fuel shortages and difficulties bringing in repair materials. As reliance on digital wallets and electronic aid payments grows, losing access to a functioning phone can also mean losing access to money and essential services.