Gaza's Lost Property Records Threaten Homeowners Amid Ongoing Displacement
Widespread destruction of homes and land-administration archives in Gaza has left many residents without proof of ownership, raising fears of land disputes and forced transfers.
In the Saraya district west of Gaza City, 50-year-old Rami Karaja recounts being unable to recover the deeds to his home in Shuja’iyya after it was bombed in April 2025 and the area fell under Israeli control. He worries that without those papers, future rebuilding could be hampered and his land might be reassigned. A UN study released in February 2026 indicates that at least 92% of Gaza’s housing units were destroyed or damaged between October 2023 and October 2025, displacing over 90% of the population.
A 2026 Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment by the World Bank, United Nations and European Union estimates that around 80% of boundary markers for 218,000 properties were destroyed and more than 65% of owners have lost their documents. The assessment warns that the combination of lost official records, personal papers and movement restrictions greatly heightens uncertainty over property rights, complicating return and reconstruction.
The Central Archives of Gaza City, which held roughly 110,000 historical documents, were also destroyed, according to a PEN America report quoting Mayor Yahya al-Sarraj. These losses threaten both legal ownership and the collective memory of Gaza’s neighborhoods.
Why it matters
Without clear property records, displaced Gazans risk losing their homes and face legal battles over land during reconstruction.
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