01 / Al-Mawasi, Rafah
Fields became shelter.
Along the coast, open land is now crowded with tents and makeshift accommodation. Families displaced from elsewhere in Gaza have sought shelter here, close to the sea.
Free Gaza
Freedom,
safety and
a future.For the people of Gaza.
We support an end to the blockade, protection for civilians, access to humanitarian aid, the rebuilding of homes and essential services, and Palestinians’ right to determine their own future.
We pursue these aims through peaceful civic action and support for international humanitarian appeals.
20232026
02 / Tel al-Sultan, Rafah
A neighbourhood erased.
The earlier image shows streets lined with buildings. In the later view, much of that neighbourhood has become bare ground and rubble. The comparison reveals the scale of what has been lost.
03 / Istiqlal Mosque, Khan Younis
A place of worship destroyed.
The mosque and the buildings around it are visible in the earlier image. The later view shows destruction across the same site. Places where people gathered have disappeared along with homes and streets.
Source: the Guardian’s satellite imagery report, Jason Burke and Eithne Staunton, 1 October 2026. Satellite imagery: Google.
People / Published July 2026
Three families. Three accounts.
Behind each shelter is someone trying to care for a family or rebuild a home.
Nibal al-Hissi
Caring for her daughter.
Nibal lives in a tent at a displacement site in eastern Gaza. She lost both arms after a shell strike.
Feeding herself, getting dressed and caring for her daughter have become daily challenges. Her story shows what losing a home means when even everyday tasks already require help.
Salah al-Tawil
Rebuilding by hand.
After repeatedly fleeing bombardment, Salah and his family returned to their damaged home in Maghazi.
For two months, he cleared rubble and repaired what he could. He made clay bricks by hand to rebuild part of the house, trying to recover a home from what remained.
Amina Saadallah
Keeping her family together.
Amina lost her husband at the beginning of the war. She now cares for their six children alone.
The family lives in a cloth tent with little protection from heat or cold. For Amina, finding shelter and providing for her children are part of the same daily struggle.
Accounts and photographs published by Al Jazeera on 23 July 2026. Photography: Mahmoud Abu Hamda / IOM. These accounts describe the families’ circumstances at the time of publication.
Gallery 1 / Published July 2026
Living without a home.
Families shelter in tents, damaged schools and the remains of mosques. These portraits show where people have made a place to live after losing their homes.
Published by Al Jazeera on 23 July 2026. Photography: Mahmoud Abu Hamda / IOM.
View all 15 photographsShow fewer photographs
Photographs and accounts from Al Jazeera’s shelter crisis gallery, published 23 July 2026. The captions describe the families’ circumstances as reported at that time.
Continue to the October 2023 photographs ↓Gallery 2 / October 2023 archive
The first days of destruction.
These earlier photographs record the damage in October 2023: homes torn open, streets buried in rubble and residents walking through devastated neighbourhoods.
Archive photographs from October 2023, published by Al Jazeera on 12 October 2023.
View all 10 photographsShow fewer photographs
Photo source: Al Jazeera’s gallery published on 12 October 2023. Photographer and agency credits accompany each image.
Gaza’s story didn’t begin in 2023.
Behind these images are generations of displacement, occupation and blockade. The history below explains how Gaza reached this point. Further down, you can read the investigations, support humanitarian aid and contact your elected representatives.
01 / The blockade
Life under blockade.
In 2007, Israel tightened existing restrictions into a land, sea and air blockade. Egypt has also restricted travel through Rafah, Gaza’s crossing on its southern border.
The blockade affected everyday decisions: whether someone could leave for medical treatment, visit family, study abroad or sell goods outside Gaza. Restrictions on building materials and equipment made it harder to repair homes, hospitals and water systems.
OCHA’s 2022 review described a population largely cut off from the outside world, with high unemployment and widespread reliance on food aid. These conditions existed long before the war that began in October 2023.
2007Israel tightened restrictions into a blockade.
64%Patient exit requests approved in time for appointments, January–May 2022.
46.6%Unemployment in Gaza in the first quarter of 2022.
11 hoursAverage daily power cuts in 2021.
Historical figures from OCHA’s June 2022 blockade briefing.
02 / War and protest
A generation growing up through war.
Children born at the start of the blockade grew up through successive wars. Families lost relatives, homes and livelihoods, often before they had recovered from the previous round of fighting. The timeline also includes the Great March of Return protests, which were met with lethal force.
2008–09
Operation Cast Lead
Three weeks of Israeli air and ground attacks followed the breakdown of a ceasefire and escalating rocket fire. UN investigators examined violations of international law during the conflict.
2012
Operation Pillar of Defense
Eight days of Israeli airstrikes and Palestinian rocket fire killed civilians and damaged homes and infrastructure in Gaza.
2014
Operation Protective Edge
The war lasted 51 days. UN reporting recorded more than 2,000 Palestinians killed, alongside widespread destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure.
2018–19
Great March of Return
Palestinians protested near the perimeter fence, demanding an end to the blockade and recognition of refugee rights. Israeli forces killed and wounded demonstrators; a UN commission investigated the shootings.
2021
Eleven-day war
Israeli bombardment and Palestinian rocket attacks continued for eleven days. In Gaza, homes, roads and medical facilities were damaged or destroyed.
2022–23
Further escalations
Further rounds of fighting killed more people in Gaza. By October 2023, families had already lived through sixteen years of blockade and successive conflicts.
03 / Since October 2023
Since October 2023.
On 7 October 2023, Palestinian armed groups attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking approximately 250 hostages. Killing civilians deliberately and taking hostages violate international law.
Israel’s ensuing offensive devastated Gaza. Families were forced from their homes, often repeatedly. Hospitals, schools and water systems were damaged or destroyed, while restrictions on essential supplies left people struggling to get food, clean water and medical care.
The ceasefire agreement announced in October 2025 did not end the humanitarian crisis. In its report dated 2 October 2026, OCHA described continuing insecurity, shortages of supplies and funding, and families facing winter in damaged buildings and displacement sites. Aid organisations warned that a lack of funding would reduce food distributions from October.
279,000People sheltering in flood-prone displacement sites.
44,000People estimated to be living in unsafe buildings.
13%+Of Gaza’s population in flood-prone sites or unsafe buildings.
65%Of Gaza’s land subject to access restrictions.
Figures from OCHA’s report dated 2 October 2026, published 5 October. For subsequent reports, see OCHA’s updates.
Common arguments
Claims, checked.
FreeGaza.com does not support any violent organisation. We condemn attacks on civilians and hostage-taking. Our support is for civilians, humanitarian relief and peaceful civic action.
The arguments below address claims used to dismiss Palestinian suffering or excuse unlawful conduct. Protecting civilians is an obligation, regardless of which side commits an offence.
These headings paraphrase arguments rather than quoting a particular person. Each response addresses the claim, with sources you can check and share.
ResponsibilityBut Israel was attacked first.
The short response
Deliberate attacks on civilians and hostage-taking are prohibited and must be condemned. They do not excuse unlawful attacks on Palestinians. International humanitarian law binds each side independently of the other’s conduct.
The evidence
An atrocity by one side does not suspend the rules for the other. The ICRC identifies this as the principle of non-reciprocity: compliance with humanitarian law cannot be made conditional on an opponent complying.
Why the argument does not follow
Attacks on civilians and hostage-taking must be condemned and investigated. They do not answer whether a separate action against Palestinians complies with the law.
Civilian protectionCivilians are being used as human shields.
The short response
Using human shields is prohibited and must be condemned. It does not make those civilians lawful targets or remove the attacker’s duties of distinction, proportionality and precaution.
The evidence
The ICRC states that civilians used as human shields remain protected. An attacker must still take feasible precautions and account for civilian harm in its proportionality assessment. An allegation of shielding also needs evidence about the particular situation.
Why the argument does not follow
This treats wrongdoing by a defending force as permission for an attacking force to disregard civilians. Both forces retain obligations.
WarningsThey were warned to evacuate.
The short response
A warning does not turn the people who remain into combatants. An attack must still comply with the rules protecting civilians.
The evidence
People may be unable to leave because of disability, illness, lack of transport or the absence of a safe route. The ICRC explains that merely staying in a besieged area does not amount to taking part in hostilities. Warnings are one precaution, not a substitute for all the others.
Why the argument does not follow
This mistakes an instruction to leave for the removal of civilian protection.
Collective punishmentGazans are responsible for the actions of their rulers.
The short response
A civilian population cannot be punished for acts its members did not personally commit. An election result does not justify collective punishment.
The evidence
Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits collective penalties and punishment of a protected person for someone else’s offence. Alleged responsibility must be assessed individually, rather than assigned to a whole population.
Why the argument does not follow
This replaces individual responsibility with collective guilt.
OccupationIsrael left Gaza in 2005, so it was no longer occupied.
The short response
Removing settlements and withdrawing ground forces did not, by itself, end every obligation under occupation law. The ICJ’s 2024 advisory opinion assessed Israel’s continuing effective control.
The evidence
The Court identified continuing authority over matters including borders and movement. It concluded that withdrawal had not entirely released Israel from obligations under occupation law, which remained proportionate to the degree of its effective control. This was an advisory opinion, not the separate genocide case.
Why the argument does not follow
This treats physical withdrawal as the only legal test. The Court’s analysis also considers the ability to exercise authority.
Food and aidAid trucks entered Gaza, so there was no starvation.
The short response
Some aid entering does not prove that people received enough food. IPC confirmed famine in Gaza Governorate in August 2025; later improvements do not erase that finding.
The evidence
On 15 August 2025, IPC found famine in Gaza Governorate with reasonable evidence. Its subsequent assessment reported improved conditions following the October 2025 ceasefire, while severe food insecurity persisted. Food access must be assessed by place and period, rather than inferred from individual deliveries.
Why the argument does not follow
This substitutes the presence of some supplies for evidence that nutritional needs were met. A historical famine finding should also not be presented as a current classification without an updated assessment.
Genocide findingsThe court did not find genocide, so the allegation is baseless.
The short response
The ICJ’s 2024 emergency orders did not decide whether genocide occurred. That does not invalidate the evidence examined by Amnesty International or other investigators.
The evidence
An emergency court order, an NGO investigation and a final judgment are different documents. Amnesty’s December 2024 investigation concluded that Israel committed genocide. That is Amnesty’s finding; it should not be described as a final ICJ verdict. The evidence and each institution’s conclusions must be assessed on their own terms.
Why the argument does not follow
This turns the absence of a genocide finding in interim orders into proof that the allegation has no evidential basis.
Criticism and prejudiceCriticising Israel is antisemitic.
The short response
Criticism of Israeli government policy is not automatically antisemitic. Targeting Jews as Jews, using antisemitic stereotypes or blaming Jewish people collectively is a different matter.
The evidence
The IHRA working definition explicitly distinguishes ordinary criticism of Israel from antisemitism. It also identifies collective blame and conspiracy claims about Jews as examples of antisemitism. Assess the actual words and context: scrutiny of a government does not become hatred of a people merely because it is forceful.
Why the argument does not follow
This conflates a state or government with Jewish people as a whole. The distinction matters in both directions.
Sources checked 6 October 2026. Dated findings are identified above; a historical report is not a live update. Legal rules explain the standard, while the legality of a particular incident depends on its facts.
04 / Read the evidence
The reports and the court case.
Amnesty International has concluded that Israel committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Human Rights Watch found that the deliberate deprivation of water amounted to extermination and acts of genocide.
Genocide has a specific legal meaning: certain acts committed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, in whole or in part. The links below include the court documents, human-rights investigations and essays by genocide scholars.
International Court of Justice
South Africa v. Israel
South Africa’s case under the Genocide Convention. Read the Court’s orders and case documents, including its emergency measures issued in 2024.
Open the case → Amnesty InternationalIsrael’s Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza
Amnesty’s December 2024 report examines attacks, displacement, restrictions on aid and statements by Israeli officials. It concludes that Israel committed genocide.
Read the report → Human Rights WatchExtermination and Acts of Genocide
The December 2024 report examines the deliberate deprivation of water in Gaza. Human Rights Watch concludes that it amounted to extermination and acts of genocide.
Read the report → United NationsSpecial Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory
Reports by the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, including her analysis of genocide in Gaza.
Visit OHCHR → Genocide scholarshipRaz Segal: A Textbook Case of Genocide
Historian Raz Segal’s October 2023 essay argues that the assault on Gaza constitutes genocide.
Read the essay → Journal of Genocide ResearchGaza and the Problems of Genocide Studies
A. Dirk Moses introduces a 2025 discussion of Gaza and the response of genocide researchers.
Read the journal article → Genocide scholarshipOmer Bartov: “I’m a Genocide Scholar. I Know It When I See It.”
Historian Omer Bartov explains why he came to conclude that Israel’s actions in Gaza amounted to genocide.
Read the essay → UN OCHAThe humanitarian impact of 15 years of blockade
OCHA’s June 2022 account of restrictions on travel and trade, and their effects on life in Gaza.
Read the UN briefing →The ICJ’s 2024 provisional-measures orders required urgent action; they did not decide whether genocide had occurred. The linked reports and essays give their authors’ findings.
Take action
Choose how to help.
05 / Help civilians
Support aid in Gaza.
Help fund food, shelter and medical care. These links take you to the organisations’ own websites, where you can read about their work and donate.
United Nations
UNRWA
Food, shelter, healthcare, water and emergency support for Palestine refugees and displaced families.
Gaza emergency appeal →
Medical humanitarian aid
Médecins Sans Frontières
Medical care in Gaza, alongside reporting on the conditions patients and health workers face.
Support MSF →
Medical aid
Medical Aid for Palestinians
A UK charity supporting Palestinian healthcare, including emergency medical aid in Gaza.
Support MAP →
Red Cross / Red Crescent Movement
British Red Cross Gaza Crisis Appeal
An appeal supporting relief and medical assistance through the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
Support the appeal →06 / Political action
Ask your representatives to act.
Your government makes decisions on arms exports, aid funding and diplomatic pressure. Write to your elected representatives and ask what they are doing to protect Palestinians and uphold international law.
Keep your message personal and specific. Ask them to support humanitarian access, oppose arms transfers that risk enabling violations of international law, and press for accountability. Request a reply that explains their position and the action they will take. Use the official directories below to find the right person.
United States — House
Use your ZIP code to identify your member of the House of Representatives.
Find your representative →Australia
Find senators and members through the Parliament of Australia.
Find your representatives →European Union
Find members of the European Parliament by country, political group or name.
Find your MEPs →Help people in Gaza.
Support an aid organisation, write to your representative, or share a report that helps someone understand what people in Gaza are facing.
About FreeGaza.com
Run by volunteers. Not for profit.
FreeGaza.com is run by volunteers on a not-for-profit basis. We do not collect funds directly.
We do not support any violent organisation. We condemn attacks on civilians and hostage-taking. Our work supports civilian safety, humanitarian relief and peaceful civic action.
We support a number of international appeals by linking to their official websites. Information about each appeal, the organisation’s work and how donations are used can be found on those sites.