Gaza reconstruction after 1,000 days of war shows near‑total destruction

One year after the October 7 attacks, Gaza’s landscape has been reduced to rubble. By November 2024 the Jabalia refugee camp was described as a "massive pile of rubble" extending to the horizon, while the cities of Rafah, Khan Yunis and large swaths of the Strip were largely wiped out. Engineering crews are searching for remaining tunnels, and 92% of underground passages have been destroyed; the remaining tunnels are slated for demolition. In Rafah, 362 smuggling tunnels that crossed from Egypt were destroyed.

Reports indicate Hamas is attempting to rebuild, but its smuggling routes by air, land, sea and underground have been choked off. The group has reportedly agreed to hand over all heavy weapons, tunnel maps and production sites to a multinational committee rather than to Israel. A multinational force is expected to act as a buffer and collect the surrendered arms, with Israel planning to withdraw only after Hamas is fully disarmed and militia weapons are collected. Small‑arms remain abundant, with tens of thousands of rifles still circulating. A senior Israeli army officer warned, "Make no mistake… of all the enemies we have faced, they are the most cruel, the most hateful toward us, and the most uninhibited."