The pallets of aid dropped from the plane, their parachutes popping as they fell to the battered and hungry people of Gaza below.

On the ground, most people in the seaside strip have been forced from their homes into a fraction of the territory. Living in tent camps, they struggle to find food, water and medicine. Many of the houses, businesses and neighborhoods that framed their former lives have been pulverized, leaving them little to return to whenever the war might end.

In the two years since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has unleashed tremendous military might in Gaza, causing destruction that has few parallels in modern warfare. The result is a dismembered and disordered society. Entire branches have been lopped off family trees, with more than 67,000 killed, or one in every 34 Gazans, according to local health officials.

Last month, a United Nations commission concluded that Israel had committed genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. Israel denies the accusation, saying it seeks to destroy Hamas and return the hostages taken in the group-led attack that killed 1,200 people.