UN estimates 43,000 Gaza housing units wiped out, 80% of population displaced

As Hamas and Israel appeared to maintain the cease-fire for the fourth day, Palestinians rushed to secure aid and check damages to their homes.
A rainbow appears across the sky as internally displaced Palestinians who fled the Israeli military bombardment and incursion into the northern Gaza Strip shelter in makeshift tents.
A rainbow appears across the sky as internally displaced Palestinians who fled the Israeli military bombardment and incursion into the northern Gaza Strip shelter in makeshift tents in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Nov. 15, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. - MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images
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Beatrice Farhat
@beatricefarhat

As the fourth day of the truce between Israel and Hamas appeared to hold in the Gaza Strip, Palestinians returned to their homes to inspect the damage caused by the seven-week Israeli offensive on the besieged enclave. Others formed long queues to receive much-needed aid including fuel, water, food and medical supplies.

Images circulating online showed the massive destruction caused by Israel’s relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip and its ground offensive in the north of the territory.

The Israeli army launched its offensive against Gaza on Oct. 7 in retaliation for Hamas’ surprise assault in southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people and in which 240 others were taken hostage. More than 14,800 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, including about 6,000 children and 4,000 women, according to the Hamas-run government media office.

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