People examine the destruction in a graveyard struck by an Israeli air raid in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on May 13, 2023. — AFP File
After over a year of conflict, Abu Razzak Al Qassas and his family reside in a temporary shelter within a cemetery in the southern Gaza Strip, relying on food handouts to survive. The Al Qassas family, originally from Gaza City in the northern part of the coastal region, are among many displaced individuals staying in the Khan Younis cemetery.
"Look at how terrifying and frightening it is for the children. Look at how we are living, there is no food and water," Al Qassas said, gesturing towards the cemetery's gravestones. Most of the two million people in Gaza have been displaced due to Israel's unrelenting attack on the strip. Some, like the Al Qassas family whose home was severely damaged, have had to relocate multiple times.
The amount of aid entering Gaza has drastically decreased, leading to severe shortages of food, water, medicine, and fuel. Israel frequently accuses aid agencies of failing to distribute aid within Gaza. The US has cautioned its ally Israel to enhance the humanitarian situation in Gaza or risk facing potential restrictions on US military aid.
Hunger is widespread, and many people are living in tents and makeshift shelters made of torn tarps and blankets, which are unlikely to shield them from the harsh winter they are about to endure. The Al Qassas family subsists on bread warmed over an open fire, cheese, and a mixture of spices and wheat.
"My children have nothing to eat or drink. They cry all night long. They want food. Where can I get it from?" Al Qassas said, noting that markets and border crossings were closed. The war was ignited when militants from the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas infiltrated southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking another 250 into Gaza as hostages, according to Israeli reports.
Vowing to annihilate Hamas and free the hostages, Israel's retaliatory assault on Gaza has claimed the lives of more than 43,000 people, according to health officials. Numerous international attempts to end the war have proven unsuccessful.
"There is no life anymore in the entire Gaza Strip, whether in the north or in the south," said Al Qassas' wife, Ghada.
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