The conflict between Israel and Hamas, which began in October 2023, continues to ravage the Gaza Strip and does not appear to have an imminent end. Unleashing a devastating humanitarian crisis that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, the tragic dispute turns entire families into victims of war every day. It is a historical issue, which involves territories, politics and religion.
The Gaza Strip, the small Palestinian territory only 41 km long by 10 km wide, is one of the most densely populated regions in the world, with about 2.3 million inhabitants. Since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, the Palestinian territory has been the scene of constant clashes that, this time, take on an inhumane character, compromising the lives of civilians living in a current state of calamity.
The conflict that has lasted one year and eight months continues to leave a trail of devastation in the Gaza Strip, with alarming data on human losses and the worsening humanitarian crisis. As of June 11, 2025, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported that at least 55,000 Palestinians had died in the fighting, and more than 127,000 had been injured. Women and children account for more than half of these casualties, highlighting the disproportionate impact on civilians.
The blockade of the Gaza Strip
Israel’s recent intensification of the blockade of the Gaza Strip emerged as an attempt to pressure Hamas to release Israeli hostages. According to international organizations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu violates international law by severely restricting the entry of food, medicine and fuel into Gaza. One in five people is hungry in the territory, warns a United Nations report. The entire population is at risk of extreme hunger, classified as phase five on the food security scale, and 30% or more of kids are expected to be malnourished, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).
Due to the blockade, not only has hunger spread, access to water, medicines and blood reserves in hospitals at the points are depleted. There is no gas to cook or even water to save the injured from the flames, reported Olga Cherevko, spokeswoman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
The Al-Najjar Family, the Fahmi al-Jarjawi School: The Injustice to Palestinian Civilians
The conflict is not limited to numbers, but to human tragedies that have turned families into symbols of pain.
On May 24, the home of doctor Alaa Al-Najjar, who works to rescue children who were victims of bombing in Gaza, had her home bombed by Israeli forces in Khan Yunis. 9 of his 10 children were killed, ranging from seven months to 12 years old.
These deaths are in addition to those of another 70 Palestinians killed by the Israeli Armed Forces on Saturday, while thousands of people suffer without access to food, water and medicine, due to the Israeli blockade of humanitarian aid.
Another episode occurred the following night, on May 25: a bombing of the Fahmi al-Jarjawi school, which housed refugees in Gaza, killed at least 36 people, most of them children. The building considered “important” by the Israeli Armed Forces, for being used by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, was bombed twice more during the attempt to escape by civilians, who were sleeping at the time of the attack.
Shooting at civilians, near humanitarian aid distribution places is becoming more frequent, as in June, when dozens were injured while waiting for trucks. Of those who moved from their homes, either for risks or for search and help, there are already more than two million reported.
A Ruthless Day to Day
Stories like these occur incessantly in the Palestinian territory. There are mass attacks, shootings, deaths from starvation and excessive displacement to return to their homes empty-handed. Every day families are losing a part of themselves and are desperate to show the world this unequal war
More and more international organizations condemn the Zionist movement and are looking for a solution that puts diplomacy at the forefront. The UN reinstates the need for a solution to end the war and points to genocidal acts in the Gaza Strip.
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The article above was edited by Larissa Prais.
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