Arwa Damon, the founder of the International Network for Aid, Relief and Assistance (INARA), says that on a recent trip to Gaza City to distribute aid, she saw “how widespread the destruction is of every single aspect of life that would make the Gaza Strip inhabitable”.

“Where I am standing now in Deir el-Balah, this is pretty much the only area in Gaza that is relatively speaking still standing. Every single other part of this tiny stretch of land has been rendered totally and completely uninhabitable,” she told Al Jazeera from Deir el-Balah.

“And in the north, you not only have a shortage of basic food items and hygiene items, but you also have people trying to live on top of the rubble of their homes where their loved ones were killed.”

Damon said that shown footage of Gaza City, residents could not recognise the streets or the main thoroughfares because of the level of destruction. “Most will tell you that they barely recognise themselves or their own people.

There are very real fears about the lawlessness that is growing, the criminal activity, the looting, which is leading to conversations about who is going to restore the moral code that existed among people.”