Photos: Gaza’s shelter crisis

What the report says

Al Jazeera published a photo-led report on July 23, 2026, describing a worsening shelter emergency in Gaza after more than two and a half years of bombardment. Citing the United Nations, the outlet reported that more than 92 percent of homes in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed by Israel’s war, leaving families to live amid rubble, in damaged schools and mosques, on rooftops, in basements and in improvised tents.

The report, with photographs credited to Mahmoud Abu Hamda/IOM, focuses on displaced residents across Gaza City, Jabalia, Maghazi, Khan Younis and other areas. Those featured include parents who lost homes and work, families displaced repeatedly, people sheltering in structurally unsafe buildings, and caregivers trying to support children after deaths or injuries in the family. Several accounts describe daily hardships such as lack of reliable shelter, food, water, electricity and privacy.

Al Jazeera also cited the Palestine Shelter Cluster as saying at least 850,000 people need emergency shelter assistance and lack basic materials including plastic sheeting, rope and plywood. The report said continuing Israeli restrictions on the entry of materials needed to repair, reinforce or replace shelters have limited the ability of humanitarian groups to respond at sufficient scale.

The article frames the crisis as both physical and social: rebuilding is constrained while displacement has disrupted livelihoods, schooling and family stability. As reported by Al Jazeera, shelter needs were already acute after a six-month blockade before the October 2025 ceasefire, leaving many households with few resources to recover.