Following Saturday’s surprise attack by Hamas militants, Israel has retaliated by intensifying its siege of Gaza, cutting off water, food and power, while an intense new assault from the air may be a prelude for a wider ground invasion.
Conditions look worse than at any point since Palestinian refugees flocked to Gaza during the 1948 fighting when Israel was founded. More than 130,000 have fled their homes as air strikes pound the crowded enclave, killing at least 560.
Map of Gaza Strip access restrictions since 2005. The Gaza Strip is bordered by a 60 km-long fence on the Israeli side and 12.6 km-long on its border with Egypt, and has two working crossing points for people, and one for goods only. It also has an allocated fishing zone in the Mediterranean Sea which is surrounded by a no-access zone enforced by Israel. The international airport in the south of the Gaza Strip was destroyed in 2002.
The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. With over 2 million people living in an area of about 365 kms square, it is roughly as dense as London, England. The population nearly doubled between 2000 and 2020 from 1.1 to 2 million. There are over 2.2 million people living there today.
Map showing population density in the Gaza Strip. The population has grown from 1,109,677 inhabitants in 2020 to 2,047,969 in 2020, and is the most dense in the Gaza city region, Deir al-Balah, Khan Yunis and Rafah.
The majority of people in Gaza live in poverty. According to the World Food Programme, 63% are food insecure. The “total blockade” imposed by Israel this week has further threatened dwindling supplies of food and medicine.
The population is overwhelmingly young. The median age for both men and women is 18 years old and about 65% of the population is under the age of 24.
Bar chart showing share of population by age bracket in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Israel. Compared to 65% in the Gaza Strip, some 56% of the population of the West Bank and 42% of the population of Israel are under the age of 24.
Since Saturday’s attack, Israel has cut off electricity supplies into Gaza. A looming fuel shortage means private generators as well as the enclave's own power station, which provides about four hours of electricity a day, will struggle to function.
For years, Gaza has had insufficient energy supplies to meet demand.
Chart showing electricity supply and demand in Gaza over 5 years. The supply is always less than 50% of the demand. In 2023, Israeli sources supplied up to 28% of demand, while power plants inside Gaza supplied 17%.
Further energy cuts mean residents cannot recharge phones, so are cut off from news of each other and events.
Data from NetBlocks showed overall internet connectivity in Gaza has slumped since the attack amid Israeli disruptions to power and communications in the region.
Line chart showing how internet connectivity in Gaza was steady in the days leading up to the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 but then dropped to 77% by Oct. 9.
By Tuesday, Israel had reclaimed control of the Gaza border by pounding the enclave with the fiercest air strikes in the 75-year history of its conflict with the Palestinians. The Israeli Air Force had posted dozens of videos of strikes against what it claimed were military targets in Gaza.
In his address to the nation Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told residents of Gaza, “Leave now because we will operate forcefully everywhere.”
Israeli military phone messages have warned people to leave some areas, indicating a new ground attack that could eclipse previous bouts of destructive warfare in the dense concrete townships that grew up in Gaza's original tented refugee camps.
“Where should we go? Where should we go?” asked 55-year-old Mohammad Brais.
He had fled his home near a possible front line to shelter at his shop – only for that to get hit in one of the hundreds of air and artillery strikes already pounding Gaza.
Muted black and white videos of airstrikes and exploding buildings.
Read more: Mapping the conflict in Israel and Gaza.