Gaza (Feb 17, 2025)- Since October 7, Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons have been completely isolated from the outside world after their mobile phones and radios were confiscated, which made us completely ignorant of the developments of the war until the night before my release. During that night, we met an officer from Israeli intelligence (Shabak), and behind him were posters showing the extent of the destruction in the Gaza Strip, and that was a message to us that this is what awaits us in Gaza.

Upon my arrival in the Strip as part of the exchange deal, a chapter of suffering and deprivation ended and a new chapter of painful scenes began. On my way from the Kerem Shalom crossing to my home, I saw the massive destruction of homes, factories, and infrastructure, as if a violent earthquake had struck the area, leaving nothing but a sea of rubble extending endlessly. Piles of solid waste piled up at intersections, while sewage water ran through the streets after the destruction of the sewage networks, in a scene that reflects the scale of the humanitarian disaster that befell the sector as a result of the war.

When I met my family and friends, feelings of joy at my return were mixed with sadness and fear of the unknown. Everyone began to talk about what had happened and about the bitter reality of Gaza after the war to ease the shock of what I would see. There were no longer any homes, schools, or hospitals, and water and electricity were unavailable, while diseases and epidemics were spreading, and the smell of death emanated from the rubble under which victims were still buried that no one had been able to retrieve.

In the north of Gaza, famine broke out, and people were forced to eat animals and tree leaves, while aid was being stolen in the south by thieves protected by the border fence with Israel. Even relief trucks have been diverted to the black market, where the price of a 25-kilo bag of flour has risen from $10 to more than $700, and a kilo of sugar is now priced at $30-35, leaving displaced people living between the risk of bombing, hunger, and looting. Even after the truce, the prices of basic commodities have continued to rise sharply, while fuel and food supplies have remained extremely limited. The price of a kilo of cooking gas has increased from $1.50 to $15, while the price of gasoline and diesel has increased tenfold. The prices of fruits and vegetables have also increased fivefold.

With more than 50 million tons of rubble piling up, thousands of tons of solid waste, and sewage flowing into the streets, the health situation has become extremely dangerous, threatening the outbreak of new epidemics that will increase the suffering of citizens.

Therefore, I believe that the top priority at the current stage is to rehabilitate the infrastructure, by removing mountains of rubble and cleaning the streets of sewage to prevent a greater environmental and health disaster. This can be achieved through the efforts of municipalities, after providing the necessary materials and equipment, in conjunction with rebuilding and operating hospitals and schools and creating safe spaces for children to support them psychologically after this devastating war, in parallel with rehabilitating the destroyed agricultural sector to restore food security.

As for reconstruction, the practical solution to remove rubble in the camps lies in using residential units based on the Turkish model that was used after the recent earthquake that struck Turkey. Since the houses there are low-rise, while the task of removing rubble outside the camps should be handed over to specialized international companies so that the rubble can be recycled for use in building roads and producing building materials. In addition, reconstruction efforts must be invested in expanding the Gaza port, rehabilitating agricultural lands and greenhouses, and repairing water wells, which will improve food security and gradually reduce prices.

After the 2014 war, we succeeded in rehabilitating thousands of agricultural acres within one year, and despite the massive destruction that the agricultural infrastructure witnessed this time, the agricultural sector can be restored within two years if the necessary budgets and materials are available. As for the fishing sector, it can be restarted within only three months, by providing basic equipment for fishermen.

On the human level, all residents of the Gaza Strip have been psychologically traumatized by the war that targeted every home. However, the most affected segment is children, which threatens to produce a more cruel and escalating generation if the children of Gaza are not rehabilitated psychologically and socially. History shows that children who lived through the 2008 war joined the confrontations in 2011 out of revenge, and those who were not rehabilitated after the 2011 war were more ferocious in 2014, leading to the October 7 attack, which was the most violent ever.

The continuation of the economic blockade and the loss of hope push young people to search for any party that provides them with a better life, which makes it easier for them to be recruited by parties seeking to achieve their interests in the region, by exploiting their feelings that were inflamed as a result of the destruction they witnessed. After the 2014 war, World Vision established safe spaces for children, where thousands of them received psychological and social support, and launched kites carrying messages of peace to the world.

The organization also supported their families through food security programs, which helped guide them toward building a positive future. However, after the organization’s activities were stopped in 2016, signs of the new generation’s deviation emerged, as children used kites to set fires in the Gaza envelope settlements, which is clear evidence that the siege and war only bring more violence and losses to everyone.

The policy of starvation and strangulation has proven to increase extremism and hostility, and the Israeli approach to dealing with Gaza has failed miserably, as was clearly demonstrated after the October 7 attack. Even in prisons, the abuse and starvation that Palestinian prisoners were subjected to after the attack led some of them to take revenge and target Israeli civilians immediately upon their release.

After the 2014 war, World Vision created safe spaces for children, where thousands of them received psychosocial support and flew kites carrying messages of peace to the world. The organization also supported their families through food security programs, which helped guide them toward building a positive future. However, after the organization’s activities were stopped in 2016, signs of a new generation’s deviation emerged, as children used kites to set fires in the Gaza envelope settlements, clear evidence that the blockade and war only bring more violence and losses for everyone.

The policy of starvation and suffocation has proven to increase extremism and hostility, and the Israeli approach to dealing with Gaza has failed miserably, as was clearly demonstrated after the October 7 attack. Even in prisons, the abuse and starvation that Palestinian prisoners were subjected to after the attack led some of them to take revenge and target Israeli civilians immediately upon their release. Israel and the world must realize that the iron fist is counterproductive in Gaza and that the continuation of the blockade will only lead to further escalation.

In conclusion, rebuilding Gaza requires not only engineering efforts but also a comprehensive vision that focuses on rehabilitating the community psychologically and economically, to ensure a more stable and hopeful future for future generations.