Challenges in the Gaza Strip
Approximately 2.3 millionThe number of displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which has a population of 2 millionfound. The people who escaped from the intense attacks of Israel were forced to take shelter in refugee camps and schools. Here, they sleep on the floor on simple mattresses and light fires with wood and paper to cook. The people of Gaza, who do not even have a roof over their heads and live in makeshift tents, try to light fires at night to protect themselves from the insects and reptiles that have proliferated in the area.
In Gaza, where there is no means of transportation to get from one area to another, people use donkey carts that they can find during the day. Sumayya Abu Hashish, who is struggling to survive in the Nusayrat Refugee Camp in central Gaza, prepares canned food for her children on a fire she made from wood and paper amid Israeli bombardments and the sound of ambulances. Under these difficult conditions, the Palestinian mother struggles to feed her family, while her husband tries to cheer up his children in a tent made of cloth and nylon.
A father from Gaza tries to distract his children from their difficult situation by having them play simple games with a small flashlight that he charges with solar energy during the day. Residents of the region have turned to limited solar energy sources to meet their basic needs and charge their phones. However, solar panels are not widely available and can only meet their needs for a few hours.
Hopes for an End to the War
Living in a tent, elderly Palestinian woman Watifa Abu Hashish recalls the good times she spent with her family in Beit Hanoun, north of Gaza, where she was displaced, but says that fear and pain now dominate the dark nights when she feels at peace. Due to the high temperatures, the children in the Abu Hashish family suffer from skin diseases in the nylon tents, which have no ventilation and keep the heat inside. The Abu Hashish family hopes to return home to live a life free of pain and fear.
Impossibilities Brought Gazans Back to Primitive Times
Palestinian mother Sumayya Abu Hashish told AA, “We are experiencing the pain of displacement and war. Now, we are deprived of basic living needs in a tent without electricity and gas. Everything we use is extremely primitive, we even have difficulty finding shoes and “clothes.”
Abu Hashish said, “Our fears increase when night falls. Because darkness covers everything. We use moonlight or a weak flashlight, which provides very little illumination.” Drawing attention to Israeli attacks, Abu Hashish said, “Children cannot sleep at night because of the sounds of heavy bombardment and they tremble with fear. You can see how scared they are on their faces.” He summarized their situation.
“Many children in Gaza cannot sleep because they are afraid of what they have seen. There is so much that children have to deal with. This is a call for the international community to take action and prioritize children. If this continues, I fear the “The future will be much more bleak,” said Salim Oweis, UNICEF’s Middle East and North Africa communications officer, on August 17.
Struggle for Survival Under the Sounds of Bombardment
Many Palestinian families in Gaza, like the Abu Hashish family, are struggling to survive without basic necessities and in fearful conditions. Having lost their homes and loved ones, Gazans hope to return to a safe life, away from the intense bombardment, destruction and dark nights. As the Palestinian Salim family sits with their children around a fire they have lit outside their tent, the sounds of the Israeli army’s attacks on the Bureij Refugee Camp, Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis pierce the darkness of the night. The Salim family tries to light the night by burning wood, plastic and paper, thus trying to ease their children’s fears.
