As Israel continues its ground offensive, displaced Palestinians within Gaza describe squalid living conditions, exorbitant food prices, starving children, and inadequate sanitation, in addition to severe restrictions on food and supplies entering the coastal territory.
Although Rafah is already the most densely populated section of Gaza, tens of thousands have fled there. CNN spoke with multiple survivors attempting to survive in this southern metropolis over the phone. "Begating here and there and accepting assistance from anyone is how I am surviving," said Abu Misbah, a 51-year-old construction worker who is supporting a family of ten. He stated that fruits and vegetables were neither affordable nor practical.
Although his children requested citrus, he was unable to purchase any. "We had never been in this situation before; our family belonged to the middle class," he explained. "Since the conflict, dates, which were previously available for free everywhere, are now being purchased." We want an end to our misery."
Like most residents of blockaded Gaza, he faces an imminent catastrophe, as aid organizations have warned. In accordance with the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the entire population of Gaza has been declared in a state of crisis. In retaliation for Hamas' attacks on October 7, Israel implemented a stringent bombardment campaign and closed its border with Gaza. Subsequently, an ongoing ground invasion ensued.
The violence has compelled thousands of Palestinians to abandon their homes and precipitate a humanitarian crisis across the territory. Israel extended its operation into additional southern Khan Younis this week, issuing evacuation orders to the local populace. The United Nations, however, asserts that Gazans have nowhere to go for safety. Umm Omar, aged 50, and her family are also displaced and living in a tent in Rafah. They had returned home momentarily during the ceasefire, only to discover the kitchen and windows shattered, as well as the solar panels and windows broken. "There are nine individuals occupying a two-by-one-meter tent," she explained. "We purchased this tent for camping on our own; no one assisted us or supplied it."
According to Omar, they were subsisting on canned food, and the cost of the majority of foods was at least four times higher than it was prior to the conflict. Medication is also difficult to obtain. She told CNN, "Life is difficult and humiliating; the word humiliating does not even come close to describing it." Previously, Mahmoud Harara supported himself by peddling produce from a wagon.
Currently, the 47-year-old individual, originally from Al-Shujaiya, is also residing in Rafah with his family of eight, which consists of five children of school age. "A house attack destroyed my residence and injured two of my sons," he explained. The family, like thousands of others, wanders the streets in search of sustenance while residing in a makeshift nylon tent. They embarked on their journey devoid of any personal possessions or tent mattresses. Harara stated that his family was not receiving any assistance and that food costs were "irreplaceable.
Your infant requests a piece of bread, but you are unable to supply them with that. "What sort of existence is this?" Harara disclosed that he travels three kilometers on foot to reach the hospital's lavatory. Confining the displaced to densely populated regions of southern Gaza has led to the spread of contagious and respiratory illnesses. He also stated that access to potable water was exceedingly limited and that his children were chilly at night. A member of the family had been unable to wash for a number of weeks.
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