MAP Gaza team speaks out: Six months of “ceasefire”

Read our full statement on what six months of the so-called ceasefire has looked like.

Here, we share our team’s experiences of the “ceasefire” on the ground.

Sobhi works at the Solidarity Polyclinic, where he coordinates MAP's rehabilitation and disability inclusion services. He oversees a holistic approach to care, bringing together physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and psychosocial support to meet patients’ needs.

Since the start of the "ceasefire", the Solidarity Polyclinic has provided 77,279 primary healthcare services to around 19,320 displaced people in central Gaza.

“At the clinic, we see around 400 patients every day. Most of them are displaced people who have been displaced for over a year, unable to return to their homes.

“Every single day is a struggle, and life has become an ongoing hardship as a result of the war on Gaza, one whose impact continues, directly and indirectly, despite the so called “ceasefire”.

“People are still living in some of the worst conditions imaginable: overcrowded displacement camps, tents packed tightly together, high humidity, sleeping on the ground, and limited access to many basic needs, most importantly water. Naturally, we receive many cases directly linked to these living conditions. Often, the root of the problem is not just medical, it is the very environment people are forced to live in.

“For example, a displaced woman who leads a family comes for physiotherapy, only to return to washing clothes by hand, carrying water, and living in a tent sleeping on a damp floor, which worsens her condition all over again. We do what we can to help, but the underlying causes remain unchanged. This is a daily reality of hardship and a true nightmare.

“Through our ongoing engagement with the community around us, we are witnessing the breakdown of social structures caused by the war, children who lost parents or entire families, and mothers who have become completely responsible for supporting their entire family.”

“We see patients with injuries, including people shot in areas that are supposedly far from military presence. I myself have visited my family living in the heart of Gaza City and happen to know there were shots in the area. This is something that personally terrifies me: that everywhere can be dangerous.

“It is also important to note that the medical staff themselves are living under the same conditions. Some members of the team are displaced and living in tents. During storms, their tents can flood with rainwater, soaking their belongings. People are exhausted, overwhelmed, and deeply distressed.

“As long as displaced families continue to live like this, in tents, with poor sanitation, limited access to water and food, and ongoing fear, the war is not over.”

Two years of Israel’s genocide in Gaza have more than doubled the need for mental health care, from around 485,000 to over one million people.

Hannan supports people coping with the psychological toll of the genocide at the Solidarity Polyclinic in Deir Al-Balah. Through one-to-one sessions and group activities, she creates safe spaces where people can share, feel heard, and try to regain a sense of stability.

“Most of the cases share the same reasons behind their struggles. They say that the economic situation and the deteriorating conditions in tents are the main reason for their problems – especially during storms, when tents are damaged and they can't afford to replace or even repair it.

“We’ve noticed that children are showing behavioural problems, stuttering, and many cases of enuresis. Mothers say that their children keep getting nightmares.”

“What makes it hard for us as mental health workers is that the reason behind all this pressure remains unresolved; people are still in tents, they’re still unemployed, they still entirely depend on “Tekeya” (community kitchens), with no access to very basic rights.

“We feel helpless but we just have to accept that we’re doing everything we can to help people. The situation here is hard for everyone, for the people and the caregivers.

“I wish I could go home to Rafah, but it was destroyed. The very idea of living away from my home in a rented house that’s also in a dire situation is distressing. So, I wish people could go back to where they used to live, and that the crossings open.”

MAP's community health workers are embedded across displacement camps and medical points throughout Gaza, providing frontline care and monitoring the health needs of communities.

Mohammed works directly with patients at the polyclinic, overseeing disease surveillance among displaced communities. He follows up on incoming cases, collects data on morbidity, and works closely with both doctors and patients to ensure accurate reporting and continuity of care.

“We’ve noticed increased cases of scabies since the last month and a half. More than a third of the patients we’re treating have scabies. It’s contagious and transmits through direct contact.

“The reason behind its increase is the environment; the overcrowding in the IDP camps, the poor ventilation, lack of sunlight, lack of sanitation, sharing same covers and clothes, and sewage in streets and around tents. All these reasons play a major role in spreading the disease.

“People get depressed when they’re diagnosed with scabies, they say ‘it’s impossible’. They tell us they’re doing everything they can to keep everything clean, but the conditions around them makes it impossible."

“The hardest thing for me is people’s inability to get and afford medication. A case like a two-months old baby who’s suffering from severe conditions of scabies is heartbreaking, shocking and unforgettable. The very basic right is to get medications, and I really wish that people’s conditions improve, that sanitation improves.”

Reema is a community health worker specialising in nutrition interventions at the polyclinic. She conducts nutritional assessments, identifies cases requiring referral to external services, and delivers health awareness sessions to the community on nutrition and related health topics.

“People are still living in dire circumstances: tents and streets get flooded in winter, which is a big obstacle for them to reach the clinic to get treatment.

“We’re seeing cases of malnutrition even after the ceasefire. There was one severe case I still remember, a breastfeeding woman with a three-month-old baby. I noticed how her facial bones stood out, and when I asked her about her diet, she told me that she hasn’t eaten any type of animal protein for four months. Her situation in the tent was already dire to the point she didn’t have anything to eat, which made her health deteriorate to this point.

“We’re still following up with her, trying to help her and support her with supplements, but still, it’s not enough."

Zaina works alongside Reema as a nutrition-focused community health worker at the polyclinic. As well as conducting assessments and referrals, she acts as a health promoter; bringing nutritional awareness directly to the displaced communities the polyclinic serves.

“It is really hard for families to reach the clinic during the winter storms. The transportation is a challenge, and the streets are too damaged and flooded with rainwater – which makes it hard for them to access the health care they really need.

“People come to the clinic with their wet clothes, they wear thin clothes that don’t protect them from harsh cold. They’d simply say: 'we don’t have any dry clothes to wear, the tent has been flooded with rainwater'.

“As a humanitarian worker it’s so hard for me that I can’t do anything for them beyond supporting them with food supplements when most cases say the same thing, that they can’t provide enough for their children. I myself have lived in a tent, we all did, and it’s so unliveable.”

As Medical Programmes Lead in Gaza, Yousef oversees all of MAP's medical emergency response in Gaza, including nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene.

“Even following the ceasefire, Gaza has continued to face severe shortages of medicines, medical consumables, equipment, and fuel and spare parts for generators. The quantities entering Gaza remain far below what is needed. Stocks of essential medicines, trauma supplies and surgical consumables are critically low, with some basic items such as gauze and needles already exhausted.

“Over the last month the situation continued to be unstable, and the system is operating in emergency mode. Fuel quantities entering Gaza remain below what health services require, forcing health partners to ration operations and to prioritise only the most lifesaving services.

“Shortages are happening for several reasons. First, entry remains restricted and unpredictable because of the blocks by Israeli authorities, with Gaza still heavily dependent on a very limited number of crossings.

“Secondly, a number of critical items are delayed or blocked because they are treated as ‘dual use items’, including generators, spare parts, and other electrical components that are needed to keep hospitals working. These constraints are directly impacting ICU services, dialysis departments, operating theatres and laboratory functionality."

The testimonies above represent only a fraction of what MAP's team in Gaza are witnessing every single day.

Since the ceasefire agreement, Israeli forces have killed more than 720 Palestinians, among them at least 120 children. Unexploded bombs and other military debris remain scattered across civilian areas, with clearance efforts blocked by the denial of essential equipment.

For Palestinians in Gaza, the ceasefire has brought no meaningful improvement to daily life. This is a ceasefire in name only.