The systematic destruction of medical infrastructure and soaring rental costs across the Gaza Strip have forced dentists to operate out of makeshift tents in the streets, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.
In the stifling heat of Gaza City, thirty-one-year-old dentist Dr Rizq Sufyan Abo Halima sits inside a small tent pitched in an alleyway, waiting to treat his patients. His original clinic, Smile One, located in northern Gaza`s Sheikh Zayed City, was bombed during the early days of the conflict in 2023. Although he managed to build a replacement clinic in the al-Nasr neighborhood last year, that facility was also leveled by Israeli forces just weeks prior to the October ceasefire.
Faced with severe property shortages and exorbitant commercial rents, Dr Abo Halima had no choice but to set up a roadside tent near the ruins of his former surgery. According to the United Nations Satellite Centre, more than four out of five buildings in Gaza City and northern Gaza have been completely destroyed or severely damaged. Strict Israeli restrictions on the import of building materials have crippled reconstruction, causing rental prices for commercial spaces to skyrocket from five hundred shekels before the war to nearly one thousand dollars.
Determined not to pass these crushing costs onto patients already facing severe financial hardship, Dr Abo Halima chose the harsh conditions of a tent over high overhead expenses. He meticulously sterilizes his instruments and employs security measures despite the vulnerable environment.
However, the collapsed economy means that basic dental procedures remain unaffordable for many residents. Healthcare workers report that patients frequently choose tooth extractions over costly fillings simply because they cannot afford the standard fees, highlighting the deepening medical crisis across the enclave.
