Between Hospital and Battlefield: Gaza's War of Attrition

As of mid-November 2026, the fighting in the Gaza Strip continues as a series of targeted operations accompanied by a worsening humanitarian crisis. On November 12, the IDF struck a Hamas facility within the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis, an attack that resulted in the deaths of six people, including a senior surgeon (The Media Line, 2026; JDN, 2026; Israel National News, 2026a). Israel stated that the strike targeted the Khan Yunis brigade commander, who was involved in planning attacks from within the hospital grounds (Jerusalem Post — front page, 2026b; מעריב — מבזקים, 2026d). The event drew international criticism, while at the same time, security tensions persist on other fronts and reports indicate IDF preparations for establishing specialized attack battalions for future ground operations (Jerusalem Post — front page, 2026a; כאן 11, 2026d; IRNA, 2026).

A year ago, in October 2025, a significant ceasefire agreement was reached, leading to the release of remaining hostages and the establishment of a technocratic committee to manage the Strip. This agreement marked a turning point after years of intense fighting that included the ground maneuver in Rafah and the killing of Yahya Sinwar in October 2024 (wikipedia.org, n.d.-g; wikipedia.org, n.d.-f). However, Hamas was not disarmed, and the reality on the ground remains volatile with recurring security incidents. Since the war began in October 2023, the death toll in the Strip has exceeded 75,000, and while Hamas’s governing institutions have been officially dismantled, the organization continues to operate in a state of ongoing instability (wikipedia.org, n.d.-a; wikipedia.org, n.d.-f).

In the broader view of the last five years, it is evident that the war is a decisive phase in the long-running Israeli-Palestinian struggle. The decade preceding the war was characterized by an Israeli 'bunkerization' strategy and attempts to contain Hamas, alongside periodic rounds of fighting (ifri.org, n.d.; Global Conflict Tracker, n.d.-c). The events of October 7, 2023, fundamentally altered this security perception, as the surprise border breach led to a mass massacre and the abduction of 251 civilians and soldiers (knesset.gov.il, n.d.; parliament.uk, n.d.). Since then, the IDF has operated under declared goals of dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities while holding strategic territory, such as the Netzarim and Philadelphi corridors, to manage control of the area (wikipedia.org, n.d.-c).

The angle missed by daily news is the cumulative impact of climatic conditions on the ability to maintain the fragile social structure in Gaza. Winter storms that hit the region in early November 2026 flooded about 70,000 tents and caused further humanitarian disasters, beyond the direct damages of the war (reliefweb.int, n.d.; Next Century Foundation, 2026). While public debate focuses on targeted killings and military maneuvers, the reality on the ground shows an increasing difficulty for aid organizations to bring in essential equipment due to restrictions by Israeli authorities on heavy machinery and work equipment. This dependency on damaged infrastructure makes every first rain an event that threatens the lives of thousands of displaced persons (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Occupied Palestinian Territory, n.d.; GOV.UK, n.d.-a).

The question of governance and the 'day after' remains open and complex, especially in light of the coalition negotiations in Israel. While Gadi Eisenkot has received the mandate to form a government, he faces political difficulties with Likud while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains in a caretaker capacity [Research notes]. International pressure from a coalition of 53 countries and organizations, led by the UK, Qatar, and Jordan, is calling for the lifting of restrictions on humanitarian aid, but the Israeli political system has yet to decide how to balance security needs with the demands of the international community. As long as the governmental order has not stabilized and tensions in the Gaza periphery continue, the entire arena remains in a state of complete uncertainty (C14, 2026; כאן 11, 2026d).