GAZA: Amidst the ruins of her home in Jabalia, the northern Gaza Strip, Um Nael Al-Kahlout and her family have erected a temporary shelter atop the remnants of what was once their sanctuary. This decision comes in the face of relentless Israeli war of genocide that has ravaged the region since October 7th.
A copy of the Holy Quran in hand, Um Nael sits atop the rubble of her home, where she and her family have chosen to stay rather than seek refuge elsewhere in a territory where vast swaths have been turned into complete devastation.
“Where else can we go?” Um Nael ponders, adding, “We were shocked to find our entire home demolished-all five floors. We pitched a tent and settled amidst the debris.”
Um Nael narrates how she and her husband, Saeed Ismail, decided to build a shelter above the rubble-a challenging experience, yet one less bitter than the prospect of displacement and homelessness.
Sitting on a salvaged couch, Um Nael explains how one of the floors housed a studio equipped with cameras, equipme
nt, and computers-all now buried under the rubble. “No one can simply abandon their memories and home. We labored here for thirty years,” the sixty-year-old woman laments.
The family chose not to leave because “there is no shelter. All the houses are destroyed,” Um Nael explains, listing the names of relatives whose homes met a similar fate.
In their makeshift shelter, they arranged some stone blocks into steps. They hung a shattered clock face on a surviving column and created a basin of green plants. A string of red plastic cups adds a touch of cheer amidst the surrounding destruction.
Everything has been reduced to rubble due to the relentless Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reports that “the destruction in Gaza has left behind 23 million tons of rubble” in this narrow coastal strip.
In their exposed shelter, buffeted by wind and rain, Um Nael and her husband face the daily challenge of finding sustenance. “There is no aid. We haven
‘t received any assistance. We collect grass from the ground and make soup,” she says.
Meanwhile, her husband, Saeed Ismail, explains, “We go to charity centers, stand in queues, maybe get a plate of cheeseweed or some other dish… everything is cheeseweed; we eat nothing else.”
The humanitarian situation has reached catastrophic levels, particularly in northern Gaza, where the couple resides. Between 400,000 and 600,000 people remain in this area out of Gaza’s total population of 2.4 million. The United Nations estimates that over 1.7 million people have been displaced, seeking refuge in schools, international organization premises, or pitching tents in public spaces within the enclave.
Specialized UN agencies have warned of an imminent famine in northern Gaza unless urgent measures are taken to deliver and distribute sufficient aid.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse