Gaza’s genocide is often described and portrayed through images of collapsed buildings and rising death tolls. But a deeper loss is silently unfolding amidst the genocide – one that cannot be rebuilt with cement or aid.

Gaza is losing its people – not only through death, but also through forced displacement, unemployment, blocked movement, and the collapse of education, as well as professional life.

Recent figures show how severe this shift has become. Gaza’s unemployment rate has surged to around 80%. Moreover, the overall economy of the Strip has shrunk by nearly 87%, reducing total output to just $362 million. When it comes to the GDP per capita, it has fallen to about $161, wiping out over two decades of development.

Even the people in Gaza are surviving from day to day just to live. At the same time, nearly 70% of Gaza’s population is under the age of 30. So, it is evident that the crisis is not abstract, but all of this is happening to the generation that should be carrying Gaza forward.

From Graduates to Survival

Before the genocide, young Palestinians invested heavily in education. Degrees in engineering, medicine, and business were seen as the only path out of hardship.

However, today, that pathway has completely collapsed. In this context, the story of Mahmoud Shamiya is documented as an example, a university graduate who now spends his days collecting firewood and fetching water in a displacement camp. His words capture the shift clearly: young people have become “aimless, jobless, and hopeless.”

So, this is not a temporary setback, but an act of structural genocide. When an economy collapses and movement is extremely restricted, education loses its purpose. Degrees no longer lead to jobs, skills cannot be used, and ambition is replaced by survival.

Education Has Been Torn Apart

The damage to Gaza’s education system is systemic. According to recent credible assessments:

• Around 658,000 to 660,000 students have lost access to regular education
• Between 87% and 97% of school buildings have been completely obliterated
• Immediate damage to the education sector is estimated at $870 million, rising to $3.8 billion over five years

So, in this extremely volatile situation, education has become impossible. Even emergency education funding has faded out. Out of nearly $198 million required, only about 3.3% is estimated to be secured.

This is a complete deliberate collapse of the education sector of Palestinians by Israel.  Students are not simply missing classes — they are losing entire academic years, and in fact, losing most precious years of their lives.

Rafah Is Controlling Who Gets a Future

Yet, for many young Palestinians, the only remaining path forward lies outside Gaza. This is only possible through scholarships, medical placements, or training opportunities abroad.

But that path runs through Rafah, and it is not open. There are hundreds of cases of capable students waiting for the only border to get reopened. For instance, there is a case of Mona Al-Mashharawi. She is a student who secured admission in a university in Algeria, but due to Israel’s restrictions and Rafah closure, she has been trapped for three years. She was meant to leave in November 2023.

There is a complete timeline of the Rafah border:

• Rafah crossing was seized by Israel in May 2024
• It reopened only partially in 2026, allowing a limited number of people on foot, just for health emergency cases
• Movement remains extremely restricted, unpredictable, and insufficient for normal life

Who will be responsible for these innocent dreams and the futures of thousands of young people? Who can bring their most precious years back? It’s part of a broader genocide strategy of Israel to eliminate all the footprints of the Palestinian generations.

The Private Sector Has Been Crushed

Before the genocide, Gaza’s private sector accounted for around 52% of employment. It provided livelihoods through small businesses, services, and local industries.

However, today, that system has completely collapsed. Estimates indicate some harsh realities:

• Up to 90% of economic sectors have been wiped out
• Total economic losses are approaching $70 billion

The Loss of Skilled Professionals

The most critical loss is not visible in rubble, but it is the loss of people who make recovery possible.

It is evident that doctors cannot work without hospitals. Engineers cannot build without infrastructure, and teachers cannot teach without schools.

Reports now confirm the displacement of skilled workers during the genocide, adding another layer to the crisis. Those who left took with them education, experience, and institutional knowledge.

Those who remain often cannot function in their professions, and as a result, there is a vacuum.

Even if somehow rebuilding begins tomorrow, the people needed to lead that process are either gone, displaced, or unable to work psychologically or physically.

A Generation Forced Into Survival Mode

Gaza’s youth should have been its greatest strength, but now, they are the most affected group of the heinous genocide.

With absolutely no jobs, no stable education, restricted movement, and destroyed infrastructure, young people are no longer planning futures. They are managing survival day after day.

The long-term effects are clear:

• Delayed or lost careers
• Reduced economic recovery
• Severe psychological trauma
• Weakened social systems

When an entire generation is pushed into survival mode, the damage does not end with the genocide.

As of now, more than 80% to 90% of Gaza’s population depends entirely on humanitarian aid. The aid is itself extremely restricted, and resultantly making survival extremely challenging.

Even the water supply has been reduced to just around 10% of the overall daily requirement in Gaza.

After all this, one fact is certain: the capacity and the future of Gaza are being eroded in an unprecedented way by Israel and its allies. Unless the world realizes the quest for survival in Gaza, nothing is going to change!

A traditional frontline in modern warfare is typically a trench or a high military hotspot, but in Gaza, the concept of the frontline has moved towards unimaginable realities. The devastation in Gaza has been widely measured in destroyed homes, shattered hospitals, and tens of thousands of lives lost.

However, there is another dimension in the Gaza genocide that is being unfolded quietly. It is a strike at the very foundation of a people’s future. Israel is systematically moving the frontline of this genocide towards delivery rooms and neonatal wards.

All across Gaza, the conditions required for pregnancy, childbirth, and infant survival have been systematically dismantled. From the complete destruction of fertility clinics to the collapse of maternity care, the impact is no longer limited to the present. It ultimately extends directly into the future.

The Fertility Clinic That Lost Thousands of Embryos

One of the most striking examples of this collapse came with the destruction of Gaza’s largest fertility center. The Al Basma IVF Centre, a facility that offered hope to families struggling with infertility, was badly hit during the genocide. According to credible reports, around 4,000 embryos stored at the clinic were destroyed.

Each embryo represented a future — a family waiting, a life planned, a possibility that no longer exists. The loss of the clinic meant more than the destruction of a building. It erased years of medical effort and removed one of the few pathways to parenthood for many couples in Gaza.

Israel deliberately targeted the maternal health infrastructure of Gaza, making it an unprecedented act in world history. The brutality and hate during the genocide are already evident, as hundreds of thousands of people were martyred.

Births Falling at an Unprecedented Rate

The impact of genocide on reproduction is now visible in Gaza’s birth statistics. Data shows that births in Gaza dropped by 41% in the first half of 2025 compared with 2022.

However, normal demographic shifts do not explain such a sharp decline. It reflects a reality where:

• Families are displaced repeatedly
• Healthcare services are severely limited
• Food shortages and stress affect pregnancy
• Safety itself is uncertain

When births fall at this scale, it signals more than disruption. It indicates that the conditions necessary for sustaining life are no longer intact.

Pregnancy Under Conditions of Survival

For thousands of women in Gaza, pregnancy has become a daily struggle for survival. Estimates indicate that more than 150,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women have been living under conditions of displacement, food insecurity, and limited medical care. Moreover, many of them lack access to basic prenatal services.

Reports from human rights organisations describe:

• Malnutrition during pregnancy
• Lack of clean water
• Extremely limited access to doctors and medicine

These effects are not secondary but primary as they directly influence maternal health, fetal development, and survival outcomes.

Investigations by Human Rights Watch documented numerous scenes where multiple newborns were forced to share a single incubator. There is an entire strategy of sterilization rooted in colonial history.

Colonizers used forced sterilization as a strategy against the innocent wombs. The Genocide Convention of 1948 explicitly defines measures to stop the birthrate as an act of genocide.

Childbirth Amidst the Genocide

The collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system has transformed childbirth itself. Al-Shifa Hospital and others that once handled routine deliveries are now operating under extreme pressure, or have been damaged or destroyed. Supplies are scarce, electricity is unreliable, and medical staff are overwhelmed.

This is a stark indicator of how far conditions have deteriorated. Childbirth, which requires stability, hygiene, and skilled care, is now taking place in environments where none of those can be found at all.

A Systematic Genocide of a Generation

Numerous international humanitarian organizations, such as Amnesty International, stated that women in Gaza are being denied the basic conditions necessary for life, including reproductive health services.

The continuity of an entire generation of Palestinians is at stake due to these heinous genocidal acts. Reproductive health is not only a medical issue, but it is deeply tied to population stability, family structure, and long-term social continuity.

The destruction of reproductive systems, whether through infrastructure, access, or conditions, has lasting consequences. The intentions of Israel and its allies, including the United States, are absolutely visible. They want to wipe out the word “Palestine” from the face of the earth through every single effort.

Despite the scale of this devastation, the horror remains largely underreported by the Western Media. This silence is actually like taking part in the genocide.

In a nutshell, the ability to sustain life has been severely compromised. Israel has ultimately turned the womb into a battlefield. Specifically in Gaza, the consequences of genocide are no longer confined to the present. They largely extend into the possibility of life itself!

In another heinous assault on the basic human rights of the Palestinians, on March 30, Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed an unexpected law. It marked a significant shift in how Palestinian detainees may be treated under its legal system. The new law allows for the death penalty by hanging for Palestinians convicted in military courts of carrying out deadly attacks.

Moreover, this heinous legislation also enables executions to be carried out within 90 days, with no scope for appeal or clemency. This is not a routine legal amendment but a representation of a fundamental change in the structure of punishment under occupation. Resultantly, the intensity of this offensive law has triggered strong reactions not only from Palestinians but also from international observers and dozens of countries.

A System Already Defined by Imbalance

It seems to be a usual law passed by a parliament, but the unforgettable pain felt by the families of those prisoners is unimaginable. Mothers are crying in pain as they haven’t seen their sons for years, but this tragic news is already diminishing the hopes that they will see their sons one day.

To understand the significance of this law, it must be placed within the existing legal framework in the occupied territories.

Specifically, Palestinians in the West Bank are tried in military courts, while illegal Israeli settlers living in the same territory are subject to civilian law. This dual system has long been criticised by human rights organisations as inherently unequal.

According to credible reports, conviction rates in these military courts are estimated to be around 96%. For many Palestinians, this raises serious concerns about due process, legal representation, and the possibility of fair trials.

When the world is giving up on capital punishment, introducing it into such a system intensifies those concerns. It transforms a structure already seen as restrictive into one with irreversible consequences.

The Scope and Reality of the Law

After the law was passed, Champagne celebrations were seen in the Knesset. On the other hand, Palestinians cried with the impeccable burden of cruelty and barbarity. The law’s wording is broad, but its application is targeted.

While framed in general terms, it will overwhelmingly target Palestinians rather than Israeli citizens. Observers point out that Israeli civilians are rarely, if ever, prosecuted under the same framework or facing similar penalties for violence against Palestinians.

This disparity is central to the criticism surrounding the law. It is not only about punishment, but about who is punished and under what system.

Palestinian Reactions: Fear, Anger and Protest

The response from Palestinians has been immediate and visible due to the widespread impact of this heinous law. Resultantly, protests have taken place in both Gaza and the occupied West Bank. People gathered in numerous cities, such as Ramallah, voicing anger and concern over what they see as a dangerous escalation.

The law is being perceived as a direct threat to Palestinian detainees and prisoners. The families of these prisoners have expressed fear that this legislation could lead to executions under a system they already view as completely unjust.

International Response

Eight Muslim-majority countries, including Türkiye, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and the UAE, have condemned the measure. The statements reflect extreme discrimination in Israel’s legal system. It could definitely further escalate tensions within the region.

The United Nations human rights leadership has openly stated that this law is inconsistent with international legal standards. It is ultimately an unimaginable move in the 21^st century. Moreover, the European Union has also expressed concern, signaling that the law could complicate an already fragile situation in the region.

A Broader Context: Accountability and Impunity

The controversy surrounding the law is not occurring in isolation. The lack of accountability for violence against Palestinians in the West Bank is one of the most concerning issues. Reports indicate that no Israeli citizen has been prosecuted for killing Palestinian civilians in the territory since 2020, despite hundreds of fatalities.

At the same time, Palestinian civilians, including children, have been among those killed in ongoing operations and confrontations.

This contrast has become central to the debate. While one side faces increasing legal penalties, including the possibility of execution, the other is widely perceived as operating with far fewer legal consequences.

Capital Punishment and a Break from Precedent

It is believed that Israel has not carried out an execution since 1962, when Adolf Eichmann was executed following a conviction for war crimes. However, Israel is evidently involved in killing thousands of innocent Palestinians, butchering mothers, children, and the elderly in its genocidal activities.

Apparently, for decades, the death penalty has effectively been dormant in Israeli law. The new legislation represents a sharp departure from that practice.

Globally, many countries have moved away from capital punishment, citing concerns over human rights and judicial errors. Against that backdrop, the introduction of a law enabling executions under military jurisdiction stands out as a significant shift.

The law has already triggered protests, diplomatic responses, and legal criticism. It has a long-term impact as it represents state brutality. This act is far from the perceptions of justice, accountability, and equality. But, at its core, the debate is not only about law, but it is about the system of genocide that is being built on the legal framework.