In Gaza, Israel’s systematic process of engineering genocide is stripping Palestinians of their aspirations and humanity. Their lives have been reduced to mere biological survival.

More than 280 days have passed since the start of the supposed ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Palestinians in Gaza had hoped that this ceasefire would be genuine and bring an end to the ongoing genocide, yet the reality has been entirely different and filled with hardships. Living under the weight of what is called a ceasefire has become a phase more devastating than direct military confrontation because of Israel’s transition from direct military genocide to a comprehensive stage of “engineering genocide”.

During this supposed truce, Israel embarked on the silent annexation of the Gaza Strip. It began by refusing to implement the outcomes of the ceasefire understandings, which stipulated the withdrawal of the Israeli army from most areas of the strip after the remains of Israeli captives were handed over, as well as allowing displaced Palestinians to return to their areas of residence. The occupation authorities then moved to the next stage by destroying what remained of homes and facilities beyond what is known as the Yellow Line, resuming demolition operations in a precise and phased manner. Satellite images documented the complete and total erasure of all buildings within that geographic area.

This systematic approach has had clear consequences on the ground. When the ceasefire was announced, the area occupied by the Israeli army amounted to approximately 53 per cent of the Gaza Strip. After months of this supposed truce, the area under Israeli control expanded to exceed 70 per cent of the Strip’s total area, which covers 365 square kilometers.

Israel’s policy of seizing and occupying land has inevitably forced approximately 2.3 million Palestinians into a narrow area of no more than 100 square kilometers, creating an unprecedented state of overcrowding and population pressure. This has negatively affected social stability, contributing to disputes among residents and the deterioration of social relations, particularly over the ownership and use of the remaining land.

The engineering of genocide has not been limited to geography. Its second phase has involved imposing absolute control over all crossings and supplies – the occupation authorities fully control everything entering Gaza, whether humanitarian aid or commercial trucks. Within this framework, Israel has imposed an exclusive trading system that allows a limited group of no more than 10 merchants, selected and directly approved by Israel, to bring in goods. Israel vets the types of materials, their quantities, prices and approved payment mechanisms.

This absolute dominance has contributed to dismantling the economic and social structure of Palestinian society. Wealth and trade have become concentrated in the hands of a narrow monopolistic group whose profits grow alongside the worsening suffering of the population. This has widened the class divide between this influential group and the vast majority of citizens who have been pushed into impoverished groups struggling to secure the basic necessities of survival.

The forced commercial system has led to the disappearance and complete marginalisation of the middle class, leaving the most vulnerable groups, including children and women, exposed to exploitation and bargaining in order to secure their basic needs. It has also contributed to a sharp rise in child and women labour, particularly among tens of thousands of families that lost their breadwinners during the war.

At the same time, the occupation has used the security dimension as an additional tool to dismantle society. Behind the Yellow Line, Israel has worked to arm and empower outlawed groups, recruiting individuals with criminal backgrounds to support and spread a state of internal Palestinian insecurity. These groups carry out assassinations and kidnappings under direct instructions from the Israeli army. Since these individuals belong to Palestinian families and clans that did not participate in their crimes, social stigma extends to their relatives and communities, leading to violent clan disputes and conflicts within the same families.

Palestinian police officers, who operate without weapons to prevent the collapse of social order and contain these disputes, have been directly targeted by Israeli aircraft. This has resulted in the killing of hundreds of police personnel during the ceasefire period. This is a deliberate Israeli effort to undermine any form of organised authority and push society into a cycle of chaos and internal conflict.

The most profound impact of these policies is reflected in the psychological and existential dimension experienced by every individual in Gaza. The continuation of a state of “neither peace nor war” imposes severe and chronic psychological pressure. People live in a constant cycle of unanswered questions about their fate and future, forcing them to postpone essential life plans. Every time an individual attempts to take a step toward stability, fears of renewed war push them back to the starting point.

As the war approaches its third year, with more than 1,010 days having passed, the wheel of life appears completely halted. Students are unable to continue their education, young people cannot build their lives, travel remains disrupted, and professional, academic and social pathways are frozen. This widespread paralysis has created a suffocating psychological crisis among the younger generation, reinforcing feelings of frustration, isolation, and anxiety about the future.

Continuous attempts to overcome this reality and resist its consequences repeatedly collide with the Israeli war machine. During the ceasefire period, Israeli forces targeted dozens of young men on their wedding days, destroyed their emerging projects and demolished newly renovated homes, forcing young people once again into a vicious cycle of loss and rebuilding from zero.

This comprehensive system of engineering suffering seeks to strip Palestinians of their aspirations and humanity, reducing their vital role to mere biological survival, limited to eating and sleeping. It creates a reality in which human beings become nothing more than statistical figures on lists of victims. Ultimately, this scene leads to the dismantling of the social structure, the accumulation of structural crises and the continuation of a systematic process aimed at engineering genocide and emptying society of the foundations of its resilience.

The views expressed in this article may or may not reflect those of Pearls and Irritations.