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KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip - Under bombs from Israel, residents of Khan Younis in southern Gaza were forced to flee their homes and move to tents set up by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
For Asmaa al-Ustad and her family, life in a tent is fraught with difficulty.
“Currently we live in difficult living conditions. There are no mattresses, we sleep on plastic bags, and the weather is scorching. My son sleeps on thorns, and the blanket does not protect our children, adults or anyone. At night, we feel very cold, and during the day, the tents are very hot. And the smell of the tents is bad, as they are old tents. We want to return to our homes because we are exhausted and tired,” she told Rudaw’s Mohammed Salim on Saturday.
According to a UN report, Israeli attacks have destroyed 30 percent of the housing units in the Gaza Strip.
Ismael al-Jbali, a displaced resident of Gaza, said they are not receiving enough aid.
“Currently, we do not have anything and we are without work or income. We cannot do anything, and what is provided to us by UNRWA is not enough,” he said. “Also, we sleep ten people in a tent and we suffer from severe crowding.”
UNRWA has warned of an imminent humanitarian catastrophe as people who have taken refuge in schools cannot access food, water, and medicine.
“Our situation in the tents is very miserable. They are tents that are not suitable for human living, and we suffer even in sleeping because there are no mattresses. We suffer greatly because of the lack of water or food, our reality is really painful,” said Ibtisam Hammoda, a displaced resident of Gaza.
On Saturday, the first delivery of 20 trucks of humanitarian aid was permitted to enter Gaza from Egypt.
About 1,400 Israelis and more than 4,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7 when Hamas militants launched a multi-pronged air, ground, and sea offensive and infiltrated Israeli territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded with a declaration that the country was "embarking on a long and difficult war."
For Asmaa al-Ustad and her family, life in a tent is fraught with difficulty.
“Currently we live in difficult living conditions. There are no mattresses, we sleep on plastic bags, and the weather is scorching. My son sleeps on thorns, and the blanket does not protect our children, adults or anyone. At night, we feel very cold, and during the day, the tents are very hot. And the smell of the tents is bad, as they are old tents. We want to return to our homes because we are exhausted and tired,” she told Rudaw’s Mohammed Salim on Saturday.
According to a UN report, Israeli attacks have destroyed 30 percent of the housing units in the Gaza Strip.
Ismael al-Jbali, a displaced resident of Gaza, said they are not receiving enough aid.
“Currently, we do not have anything and we are without work or income. We cannot do anything, and what is provided to us by UNRWA is not enough,” he said. “Also, we sleep ten people in a tent and we suffer from severe crowding.”
UNRWA has warned of an imminent humanitarian catastrophe as people who have taken refuge in schools cannot access food, water, and medicine.
“Our situation in the tents is very miserable. They are tents that are not suitable for human living, and we suffer even in sleeping because there are no mattresses. We suffer greatly because of the lack of water or food, our reality is really painful,” said Ibtisam Hammoda, a displaced resident of Gaza.
On Saturday, the first delivery of 20 trucks of humanitarian aid was permitted to enter Gaza from Egypt.
About 1,400 Israelis and more than 4,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7 when Hamas militants launched a multi-pronged air, ground, and sea offensive and infiltrated Israeli territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded with a declaration that the country was "embarking on a long and difficult war."
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