Israel’s yearlong offensive against Hamas, launched in response to the militant group’s Oct. 7 attack into Israel, has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused staggering destruction across the Gaza Strip that could take decades to rebuild. Hundreds of thousands of people are crammed into squalid tent camps with no homes to return to, even if there is a cease-fire. The mountains of rubble alone, laced with human remains, unexploded ordnance and other hazardous materials, could take years to remove. The U.N. estimated in July the war has left roughly a quarter of all structures in Gaza destroyed or severely damaged.
