Al Jazeera Catalogs What Gaza Families Saved While Fleeing

Al Jazeera published a longform gallery on October 8, 2026, documenting what displaced Palestinians in Gaza carried out of their homes after October 7, 2023 — and what they lost along the way, according to Al Jazeera.

Reporters Maram Humaid and Abdelhakim Abu Riash interviewed residents across Gaza about single possessions — books, a dog, a musical instrument, a keepsake — grabbed during forced evacuations. Some fled with nothing, the outlet reports.

What are the current casualty and displacement figures in Gaza?

Gaza's Ministry of Health reported at least 74,018 people killed and 175,079 injured in the territory since the war began, with figures current as of September 27, 2026, Al Jazeera reports.

By the numbers

• 74,018 — Palestinians killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, per Gaza's Ministry of Health, as of September 27, 2026
• 175,079 — Palestinians injured over the same period, per the same ministry tally
• 13 — Number of times Omar Abdel Hakim Hamad has been displaced since fleeing Beit Hanoon on October 30, 2023
• 200 of 500 — Books Hamad managed to carry from his personal library before fleeing; his library today holds roughly 7,000 books, including about 3,000 recovered from destroyed collections and 4,000 purchased since

What did Omar Hamad save from his home library?

Hamad, 30, received a midnight displacement order in Beit Hanoon, north of Gaza, and stayed briefly to collect belongings despite bombardment, Al Jazeera reports. He prioritized old and rare volumes, including a 1933 edition of "Kalila wa Dimna."

"They are part of who I am," Hamad told Al Jazeera, describing a love of reading that began at 15.

During famine conditions described in the report, Hamad considered trading his library for one or two kilograms of flour but kept most of the collection. He now runs the Phoenix Library in central Gaza City, built in part from books rescued from destroyed libraries during the war.

What happened to Shahd Abu Khosa's pets during displacement?

Abu Khosa, 30, left her home in Gaza's al-Jalaa neighborhood on October 16, 2023, taking two dogs, Lily and Bobby, according to Al Jazeera. Her displacement route ran from al-Shifa Hospital to Tal al-Hawa, then to a house, then to a school shelter.

Bobby died of starvation after food became unavailable, the outlet reports. Lily survived on lentils and bread shared from the family's own rations during the famine-like conditions described in the report.

"I never thought of leaving Lily behind," Abu Khosa told Al Jazeera, calling the dog part of the family.

Why does Al Jazeera's report focus on individual objects rather than aggregate loss?

The gallery format pairs photographs with first-person accounts, letting individual choices — a library, a pet, an instrument — stand alongside the ministry's casualty count. Al Jazeera frames the piece as part of its continuing coverage under the heading "Crimes Against Humanity."

The full set of accounts, including additional residents not detailed here, is available in Al Jazeera's original gallery.

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