A fragile peace, a harsh winter: Gaza’s families are struggling to rebuild

For months, thousands of families remain without a roof over their heads, lying under the open sky – the stars above providing both comfort and a haunting reminder of all they have lost.

Sabah, her husband Ahmad and their seven children slept in the open for weeks after losing their home. “We fled from Shuja’iya to Rimal, then south – Rafah, Deir al-Balah, Nuseirat – and then back to Shuja’iya,” Ahmad explains. “Every time we move, we lose more of what little we have.”

Ahmad suffers from heart disease and has no access to medication. One of their children suffered a head injury and lost his memory. Another fell from the fifth floor during a strike. Another died of hepatitis.

“She died because I couldn’t give her the medicine she needed,” Sabah said. “I didn’t even have any food, not even a pinch of salt.”

Before the ceasefire, life had become a daily struggle for survival. Families went for days without food or clean water. “The hardest thing for a father,” says Ahmad, “is to see your children thirsty, to have water but not to let them drink because that must take days.”

Now the ceasefire has created a vulnerable opportunity, and with it the responsibility to act.

Since the ceasefire began, families have continued to move through Gaza in search of safe shelter, often leaving their homes in ruins.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) partners, 639,000 people have been recorded moving from the south to Gaza City, while many people are moving further north, towards Jabalya and Beit Hanun.

Many continue to seek shelter in tents or collective displacement sites, often in open areas without protection or in damaged buildings that provide little security.

Over the past two months, IOM has delivered more than 660,000 hygiene and shelter items, including more than 11,000 tents, through its Common Pipeline Program. This provides essential protection and restores a sense of dignity to families like Sabah’s, who have endured prolonged insecurity.

IOM’s warehouses are full, trucks are ready and aid is being prepared for delivery. All that remains is for border crossings to open so that aid can reach those who need it most.

As winter approaches, the urgency grows as families lack access to adequate shelter materials.

“Families urgently need tents, blankets and warm clothes. The cold is setting in. Without shelter and warmth, suffering will increase,” said Mohammad Najjar, program manager at the Beit Lahia Development Association (BLDA), an IOM Common Pipeline partner in Gaza.

Last winter, more than a dozen people, including babies, died from hypothermia. Similar deaths can be prevented this year if families prepare adequately and receive support before the severe weather sets in.

“The long road to recovery is already being paved by Palestinian humanitarian workers, with the support of the international community,” added M. Najjar. “But it will take peace, determination and collective will to ensure that the safety and dignity of Palestinians in Gaza are preserved.”

Tonight many families will lie under the open sky again. The ceasefire has provided breathing space, but winter is coming and needs are increasing rapidly.