Nearly 11 months into the war, Palestinians in Gaza are still struggling to get proper access to food and clean water amid Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas, which has restricted the entry of much needed aid.
Nearly eleven months into the war, Palestinians in Gaza continue to struggle to access adequate food and clean water amid Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas.
As the war restricts entry of much needed aid into the region, families have been forced to rely on makeshift charity kitchens for survival.
They must line up for hours in excruciating heat to get their main meal for the day and water. The meal is mainly rice, with chicken provided only once a week.
Abu Hamzah, who runs a basic small charity kitchen set up in Deir al-Balah, said that between 8,000 and 10,000 displaced people benefit from his charity kitchen.
“Life is hard, there is nothing. We come to the charity kitchen and stand 4 to 5 hours waiting our turn every day in the sun,” Um Yehia Shaheen, a woman displaced from Gaza City said.
Accessing water has become another daily struggle as it becomes severely scarce in Gaza. Wells across the enclave have been destroyed in Israeli airstrikes.
Palestinians in Deir al-Balah must line up for hours to fill up their bottles or jerry cans with water from water barrels.
“There is no life here. We are not really living. Even donkeys in Gaza have better lives than the one we are living now,” Mohamed Hanounah, a displaced man said.
“We walk at least 1.5 kilometers with our containers to fill up and unload where we’re staying, and then come back to load more. There are no barrels to use to fill up with water. Our life is very difficult.”