Has the World Forgotten the Gazans?

October 7 has become a date the world remembers for different reasons. Three years ago, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups attacked Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. The attack was horrific, and nothing can justify the deliberate killing or abduction of civilians. But October 7 also marked the beginning of a catastrophe whose human consequences in Gaza continue to unfold.

Nearly three years of Israeli bombardment and ground operations have killed more than 74,000 Gazans, according to figures reported by Gaza authorities. Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble. Hundreds of thousands of homes have been destroyed or damaged, hospitals and schools have been devastated, and essential water, sanitation and electricity infrastructure has been severely compromised.

Yet statistics cannot capture what life means for a population that has lost homes, livelihoods, schools, hospitals and basic services. Gazans have been displaced repeatedly and continue to live in extremely difficult conditions. Even after a ceasefire agreement, violence and humanitarian challenges persist.

Then came another geopolitical shock. Since February 28, 2026, the US-Israel war with Iran has consumed international attention. Gaza, already pushed to the margins, has slipped even further down the world's agenda. This raises an uncomfortable question: Has the world become accustomed to Gazans' suffering?

The most disturbing possibility is that Gaza's destruction will eventually be viewed not as a humanitarian catastrophe requiring justice, but as a redevelopment opportunity requiring investment. With billions of dollars needed for reconstruction, the temptation to see Gaza primarily through the lens of real estate, tourism and strategic interests could become enormous.

History may therefore record these three years in one devastating sentence: The world watched Gaza being destroyed, then waited for the rubble to clear so that the real-estate bonanza could begin.

But Gaza is not an empty piece of land awaiting developers. It is home to Gazans who have survived war, displacement and unimaginable loss. Reconstruction must restore not merely buildings, but dignity, ownership, livelihoods and the right of Gazans to determine their own future.

The world still has a choice: remember Gaza as a human tragedy—or allow the suffering of Gazans to become someone else's opportunity.