Gaza ‘ceasefire’ has merely slowed the pace of societal destruction
Ghada Majadli writes in Middle East Eye on 1 September 2026:
Every fourth Palestinian injured in Gaza since October 2023 lives with spinal cord or brain injuries, among other potentially life-changing conditions, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently estimated. Despite this, the entry of rehabilitation supplies remains restricted.
Of the more than 172,000 people wounded in Gaza, 43,000 – around two percent of Gaza’s prewar population, including approximately 10,000 children – are estimated to have sustained life-changing injuries, such as limb trauma, amputations, spinal cord damage, major burns and traumatic brain injuries. More than aid agencies report that no rehabilitation equipment entered Gaza between May 2024 and 14 April 2026, while shipments containing assistive products faced an average waiting time of 136 days.
Gaza is increasingly home to a mass population of survivors whose bodies have been permanently altered by Israeli violence, while the infrastructure necessary for them to recover and live with dignity has simultaneously been destroyed.
Even after the so-called ceasefire took effect in October, Israel has continued to deny them critical aid.
Since then, little has fundamentally changed. Palestinians continue to be killed while sleeping, shopping, or spending time at the beach. Aid deliveries and medical supplies continue to be blocked or severely restricted.
As of August, Kerem Shalom remained the only operational crossing for cargo into Gaza, while the volume of supplies entering remained insufficient to meet needs. Of 878 commercial truckloads entering Gaza between 3 and 9 August, only two reportedly carried medical equipment. Tents sheltering displaced people and some of the last standing buildings continue to be bombed daily. In less than a year since the ceasefire was announced, more than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed.