Gaza: the daily struggle to survive
Abdalrahman is from Gaza, and now lives in London. His entire family remains in Gaza. He spoke about the realities of daily life for Gazans.
What is daily life like in Gaza for your family and for other Gazans?
Once they wake up in the morning, the first issue is to go and try to find some water, which is the hardest thing. But they don't manage to get water every day, as the trucks don't come every day, they come maybe once or twice a week. And then they go to other neighbourhoods, so they have to change locations to go wherever they know there is water. This takes mostly the whole morning. They spend two to five hours just trying to find water and to bring some water for that day, for washing, for cooking, for drinking. Most of the water comes from underground wells. It's muddy, it’s not 100% good for drinking, but they have to drink it.
So, when they finish the water issue, then they try to find some wood to make a fire to cook. Before they find the food, they have to find a way to cook the food. Otherwise, they cannot make the food, at least the bread. This also takes a few hours.
And when they finish the water and food issues, it's nearly night time. So now they have to try to sleep. But sleeping is a struggle, with the insects… mosquitoes, and different types of insects we have never seen before. So they will use a carton or a piece of cloth to make a fan, and will take it in turns [to fan each other] so they can have at least an hour of comfortable sleep.
During the search for food, it is very risky to go outside. I don't want my boys to go outside, because it's very risky and dangerous. Bombing has not stopped, so there’s no safety for anyone who is walking around.
As you mention, bombing and airstrikes haven’t stopped. The Israeli military is occupying a large proportion of the territory. Aside from the risk of bombing, what are the ways in which that military occupation affects daily life?
There is a map, and people, especially people who live nearby. The IDF has a map, with its “Yellow Line”, and areas that are green and red. If the area is red, that means it’s a war zone, and no-one should come to this area. The green areas are the areas the IDF says are safe. But no place is safe; they do bombing and air strikes even in the green areas.
Most of the military operations are in place controlled by the IDF, and the areas nearby, so no-one dares to move towards those areas. If the IDF sees anyone approaching, they will be targeted.
It’s been reported in the news that Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace” is drastically underfunded and has not begun any of its planned reconstruction projects. Has there been any kind of reconstruction at all?
No, until now, there is no sign of any reconstruction. Some people are using old ways, trying to use mud and stones to rebuild things, using whatever they can find locally, including remnants of destroyed buildings. People who are builders, who worked in construction previously, they will try to make something small, a small shelter to protect people, but it’s not enough. There are no tools or building materials coming in.
In the agreement, it said reconstruction will only happen if Hamas disarms, and there is no sign they will be doing that. When the agreement was first signed, people were happy… They expected things to start recovering, but none of that has happened.
Has any sort of economic life resumed? Are any workers able to work?
People with certain skills are able to work, such as electricians, people who can repair phones, they have been able to use their skills.
Maybe 50 or 60%, or more, of people relied on day work… salespeople in the markets, for example. All of that has stopped. No more farming, no shops, no work for drivers, all of that has been destroyed. So many people lost their daily jobs. They have had to find other ways to get by.
The simplest thing is to try to bring some food from the bigger businessmen and to sell it locally to earn a little bit of money. Or the people who can fix damaged things, they will offer to do that. So people are trying to work, but there is so little money. It’s the same small amount of money going around in a circle from person to person. Today, this person will need a service from another person, so they will pay some money, then that person will need something from someone else… So it’s the same cash going from person to person.
Some people are salaried employees, for example aid workers or people employed by the Palestinian Authority. They are still receiving their salaries. But these are not many in number, maybe 20 or 10% of the population, and even their salaries are not enough.
Some people have relatives outside, so they send their families a little bit of money. Many people depend on outside help, either aid or direct support from friends or family outside of Gaza.
Is there any travel in and out of Gaza?
Most people who managed to leave Gaza did so through medical evacuation. This is the only way. From time to time, we see in the news that some students are being evacuated, some people with visas are being evacuated, but we don’t see any explanation of that, what the rules are, how to apply, what are the requirements… Nobody knows. They will suddenly just see in the news that 20 people were evacuated, 40 people evacuated, 50 people evacuated, but there's no explanation how and why and who. We don't know. The only process that they announced is medical evacuation, and there are only between 100 and 150 per day.
To what extent does Hamas remain a factor in daily life?
The source of their power is that they are using the people of Gaza. They are so powerful and it is not easy for them to be removed. They don’t care about our safety; their existence depends on our suffering. The more we suffer, the stronger they become.
Even now, when someone tries to find a simple way of surviving, if he tries to open a small shop or a small business to make coffee or tea to try to make some money, they come and charge him for tax. They say, “As you are here on government land, you have to pay us tax for what you are doing. You are earning money, you have to pay money.”
Even people who are staying at the beach in Mawasi, in the public lands, they tell people to pay money. Otherwise, they have to leave that area. They don’t care about the people, they just care about their own power.
Is there anything else you want people to know about the struggles your family and other Gazans are facing?
We need everyone around the world to take responsibility, and push for us to have our simple rights to live in peace and safety, to help us recover from what we have seen. What’s happened cannot be undone, it has already happened, but we must find ways to have a better future, to make sure nothing like this happens again. We must ensure no-one ever experiences this kind of suffering.
Everyone has a responsibility, not just in Gaza or in the West Bank or Israel. It’s an issue for everyone. The world needs to find solutions so everyone can live in peace, with equal rights.
This is the only way. For me, I am so worried about my family, my friends, my people there. I am so worried about them. It is beyond imagination. This can't continue anymore. People have had enough, and they want to find peace. When they go to sleep, they want to sleep peacefully, with dignity, and not to be scared.
Friends are crying when they call me. They cry when they see their children crying. They need food, and they are not able to provide for them. This is beyond humanity. Human beings should not allow other human beings to starve.
What can people reading this do practically, to support people in Gaza, and help change the situation?
At the very least, speak up. Raise your voice. Say to all governments: take responsibility. Make sure people have their rights and dignity, a chance to get their normal lives back. We need to say, “enough is enough”. We must try to correct mistakes, not keep making things worse and worse.
International law must be adhered to. Every single human life is important. Humanitarian aid organisations must fulfil their responsibilities, governments must fulfil theirs. They must put consideration of people’s safety as their first priority.
In the meantime, the most urgent task is to make sure people have their basic needs for survival: food, water and medicine. So many people are sick or injured and need medical treatment, including surgery.
UK Friends of Standing Together is cosponsoring "The Hope Cycle", a 1,000+ mile bike ride by Tareq Al-Qazzaz, a Palestinian originally from Gaza, now living in London. The majority of funds raised will go directly to supporting families in Gaza, including Abdalrahman's, with the help of the Gaza Support Network. A small portion of the funds will also go to Standing Together. Please donate here.