World Habitat Day : PCBS Says Zionist Aggression Damaged 190,115 Buildings in Gaza
On the occasion of World Habitat Day, marked annually on the first Monday of October under the auspices of the United Nations/UN-Habitat and the Council of Arab Ministers of Housing and Reconstruction, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) issued a grim report entitled “Housing in Gaza: Between Rubble and Displacement: Destroyed Houses and Displaced Families Searching for Shelter.” The report sheds light on the devastating housing crisis caused by the relentless aggression of the Zionist entity.
According to PCBS, the Zionist aggression on Gaza since October 7, 2023, has led to the destruction or damage of 190,115 buildings. Of these, 102,067 were completely demolished—double the number recorded during the first year of aggression—while 41,895 were moderately damaged. In total, approximately 330,500 housing units have been affected. The ongoing military operations have displaced more than two million Palestinians, with over one million forced to live in makeshift camps, tents, or the remnants of partially habitable structures in northern Gaza. UN satellite imagery in September 2025 confirmed the alarming spread and subsequent disappearance of tent settlements, underscoring the precariousness of shelter conditions.
The crisis extends beyond housing. More than 85% of water and sanitation facilities in Gaza have been completely or partially destroyed, including sewage treatment plants, desalination plants, pumping stations, and main transmission lines. The cost of rehabilitating this infrastructure exceeds 1.5 billion dollars. As a result, Palestinians in Gaza now receive only 3–5 liters of water per person per day—far below the minimum humanitarian requirement of 15 liters in emergencies.
Palestinians Face Expanding Forced Displacement in the West Bank and Al-Quds
The PCBS report also highlighted the systematic displacement policies carried out by the Zionist entity across the occupied West Bank and Al-Quds Governorate. Since October 2023, forced evictions, land confiscations, and demolition orders have accelerated dramatically. In Masafer Yatta, nearly 1,200 Palestinians face displacement after the occupation authorities rejected all building permits under the pretext of “military training zones,” while Zionist settlers in nearby areas remain untouched.
According to UN OCHA, at least 6,463 Palestinians were displaced due to demolitions between late 2023 and mid-2025, with an additional 40,000 forced to flee refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarm during repeated military assaults. Settler violence and restrictions on movement have added to the crisis, displacing over 2,200 more Palestinians. The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission reported that during the first half of 2025 alone, the Zionist occupation carried out 380 demolition operations, destroying 588 establishments, including 322 homes. Al-Quds alone witnessed 67 demolitions, leaving dozens of families homeless.
Housing conditions remain dire across the West Bank. In 2024, 5% of Palestinian households lived in overcrowded housing units with three or more people per room—10.5% in refugee camps, 4.8% in cities, and 3.6% in rural areas. The average number of rooms per unit stood at 3.6, compared to just 3.2 in refugee camps. Meanwhile, the number of licensed housing units declined sharply to 13,819 in 2024, down from 18,230 in 2023.
World Habitat Day takes on particular significance in Palestine, where the people face the compounded burdens of military occupation, forced displacement, economic hardship, and the impacts of climate change. The destruction of homes, the stripping of land, and the denial of basic resources by the Zionist entity highlight the urgent need for sustainable urban solutions that uphold the Palestinian right to safe shelter, dignity, and spatial justice. Addressing the housing crisis in Palestine, the report concludes, is not only a humanitarian imperative but also a long-term developmental necessity for resilience and stability.
