‘Every day there is killing’: Gazans face Israeli strikes despite ceasefire as peace deal stalls

“During the winter, my son suffers from epilepsy seizures because of the cold. It’s very hard sometimes to keep him dry and warm,” she said.

“Before the war, I had a job, a house, an ordinary life, but then everything turned upside down. Now we have no hope, nothing. It’s only about survival day by day, to keep my kids alive, clean, healthy and fed.”

There are camps further inland in Gaza that have even been built below sea level, which are at greater risk of flooding.

The October 2025 peace deal was supposed to pave the way for the reconstruction in Gaza, but rebuilding has not yet begun – stuck in limbo because of an impasse over the second phase of the deal.

Israel strictly controls what materials and machinery are allowed into Gaza, acting, it says, for reasons of its own security.

Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump put forward a plan to disarm Hamas, but in August it was rejected by Netanyahu, who stated that no military pull-out would happen until Hamas was “genuinely” disarmed.

Hamas has said handing over its heavy weapons is contingent on Israel ending “all forms of aggression” and withdrawing its forces from Gaza.

Half a world away, Trump’s Board of Peace has also proposed a recovery plan for Gaza worth $2.45bn (£1.85bn).

But, one year on from the ceasefire and three years on from the start of the war, many like Amal are deeply sceptical of things actually changing on the ground.

“We are struggling and not being allowed to rebuild,” she said. “I don’t think they are telling us the truth about allowing us to rebuild a safe future for our children.”

Additional reporting by Imogen Anderson and Malak Hassouneh