Gaza dentists operate from street tents as clinic rents hit $1,000

September 3, 2026 at 09:45 PM2 min

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Dr. Rizq Sufyan Abo Halima operates a dental tent in Gaza City after Israeli strikes destroyed two clinics. Rents for remaining office space have risen to about $1,000 a month, double the prewar rate. He treats patients in the tent despite frequent power cuts and extreme heat.

Key Facts

Dr. Rizq Sufyan Abo Halima's first clinic, Smile One, in Sheikh Zayed City was bombed in the early days of the 2023 war.
His second clinic, built in May 2025 in Gaza City's al-Nasr neighbourhood, was destroyed three months later during an Israeli assault.
More than four in five buildings in Gaza City and northern Gaza have been completely destroyed or severely damaged, according to UNOSAT.
Before the war, Dr. Abo Halima rented an entire apartment for his clinic for 500 shekels ($166) a month; today the cost is closer to $1,000.
Israel's ban on building materials has made repairs impossible, leaving fewer than one in five buildings in Gaza usable.

Clinic Destruction

Dr. Rizq Sufyan Abo Halima's first clinic, Smile One, in Sheikh Zayed City in northern Gaza was bombed during the early days of the war in 2023. The 31-year-old built a new clinic in May 2025 next to where his current tent is pitched, in Gaza City's al-Nasr neighbourhood. Three months later, Israeli forces assaulted the area and destroyed the second clinic, just weeks before the October ceasefire. He now conducts operations and emergency dental procedures in a tent close to the ruins of his former surgery.

Rental Market Collapse

More than four in five buildings in Gaza City and northern Gaza have been completely destroyed or severely damaged in Israel's war, according to the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT). Fewer than one in five buildings in Gaza can still be used, and Israel's ban on building materials has made repairs impossible. Before the war, Dr. Abo Halima rented an entire apartment for his clinic for 500 shekels ($166) a month, but today he cannot afford the prices of remaining apartments at all. The cost is now closer to $1,000 a month, and he does not want to pass the excessive rent on to patients who are already suffering immense personal and financial hardships.

Tent Practice Conditions

Dr. Abo Halima sits in a small tent pitched in an alleyway in Gaza City, waiting for his next patient in stifling heat. He adjusted the corners of the tent and lifted it at the ends to allow air to pass through. When the electricity supply stops, which is frequent, he can do little but sit in his tent and wait for the power to come back on. Using a tent is the cheapest alternative he could find, and if he rented an apartment instead, the cost of one filling would double for the patient.