A ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas will come into effect on Sunday, January 19, after an agreement was announced on Wednesday to end Israel's devastating 15 months of assault on the Gaza Strip.

The three-phase deal includes a temporary ceasefire, the release of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners and the return of displaced Palestinians, although many homes in Gaza have been destroyed.

So, what is the purpose of Palestinians returning to Gaza?

How many people are left in Gaza?

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 46,707 Palestinians and injured 110,265 others—an average of 100 Palestinians killed every day over the past 467 days.

Gaza's estimated population is about 2.3 million, half of whom are children. The population has declined by six percent since the war began.

Over the past 15 months, Israeli attacks have killed 2 people per 100 people in Gaza and injured 5 people per 100 people. Some 11,160 people are missing, meaning one in every 200 Palestinians in Gaza is missing - many buried under more than 42 million tons of rubble. 100,000 Palestinians have left Gaza.

About nine out of 10 Gazans have been displaced, many of whom have had to move multiple times since the war began.

But what do displaced people have to return?

According to an analysis by American researchers Jamon Van Den Hoek and Corey Scher, at least 60% of the buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed.

Around 90% of Gaza's population has been displaced, making it one of the areas with the highest displacement rates in modern conflict, and for many, their communities have been completely destroyed, including basic services such as hospitals and educational facilities. Not to mention the collapse of critical infrastructure such as health systems and electrical services.

Some experts estimate it will take at least a decade to clear Gaza's 42 million tons of rubble.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as of January 14, half of Gaza's 36 hospitals were partially functioning, 88% of schools were damaged or destroyed, and 92% of homes were damaged or destroyed. 68% of agricultural land and 68% of roads were destroyed.

How quickly is Gaza being destroyed?

Within hours of the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, Israel launched airstrikes in Gaza. Israel begins a ground invasion of the northern Gaza enclave, focusing on densely populated areas such as Beit Hanu and Jabaliya.

In the first month of the war, 15% of buildings were damaged or destroyed, and as of November 10, 34% of buildings in northern Gaza and 31% in Gaza City had been damaged or destroyed.

By January 5, three months into the ongoing bombardment of Gaza, almost half (44%) of Gaza's buildings had been damaged or destroyed. Most of the damage was concentrated in the north, where approximately 70 per cent of northern Gaza and Gaza City had been destroyed.

Medical facilities have been hit by Israeli bombings and ground incursions, and hospitals such as Shifa in Gaza City are surrounded by Israeli forces and cut off from people in need of emergency medicine and treatment.

Fifteen months after Israeli air strikes, Gaza is nothing more than an empty shell. It is estimated that nearly 60% of buildings were damaged or destroyed, with the worst affected province being Gaza City, where 74% of buildings were destroyed.

What is left of schools in Gaza?

As of August 2024, more than 625,000 school-age children in Gaza did not receive formal education throughout the year.

Gaza's education system is in ruins after Israeli airstrikes. Many of the schools that remained were used as temporary housing for displaced families, further reducing their ability to function as educational institutions. About 88% of schools, or 496 of 564 schools, were damaged or destroyed. According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, at least 503 education staff were killed and all university buildings in Gaza were destroyed.

With no infrastructure, staffing or supplies, Gaza's education system has effectively collapsed, raising questions about how to rebuild and operate again.

What is left of Gaza’s homeland?

Entire communities have been reduced to rubble, and millions of people rely on humanitarian aid for shelter and survival. This massive displacement and destruction of infrastructure highlights the enormous challenges Gaza faces in rebuilding, raising urgent questions about the future of its people and the prospects for life to return to normal.

Approximately 92% (436,000) of housing units and 80% of commercial facilities were destroyed or damaged. In addition to this, 9 out of 10 Palestinians in Gaza are displaced.

What are the hospitals left in Gaza?

Gaza's hospitals, despite being explicitly protected by humanitarian law, are still under repeated attacks, lack basic supplies, and are on the verge of collapse.

This has resulted in many of Gaza's much-needed hospitals being out of service; only half or even part of them are functioning, including only one in the entire northern Gaza governorate.

In January, Gaza health officials said Al-Aqsa Hospital, Nasser Hospital and the European Hospital were at risk of imminent closure after repeated Israeli bombings and blockades of supplies.

Restoring Gaza's hospitals after the ceasefire will require a huge effort, given the critical importance of restoring power and clean water. In some cases, hospitals need to be completely rebuilt, while securing necessary medical supplies and specialized equipment (something Israel cut off during the war) is also imperative.

What is left of agriculture in Gaza?

It is estimated that 68% of agricultural land is currently destroyed. Sentinel-2 satellite imagery shows a significant reduction in farmland, with Gaza's northern governorates suffering the highest proportion of damage, with more than three-quarters of farmland destroyed.

In addition, much of the region's livestock was killed and irrigation systems and other agricultural equipment were destroyed, making recovery efforts challenging. The soil first needs to be cleared of rubble and unexploded ordnance, followed by decontamination.

Rebuilding Gaza's agricultural center will require significant financial assistance from international organizations.

What’s left of Gaza’s roads?

According to UNOSAT data for August 2024, approximately 1,190 kilometers (740 miles) of roads in Gaza were destroyed, of which 415 kilometers (258 miles) were severely affected and 1,440 kilometers (895 miles) were moderately affected. This accounts for approximately 65% ​​of the enclave's total road network.