As 2023 comes to a close, bringing only more hardships to Gaza, its residents feel little hope that the new year will provide any relief in their situation after 12 weeks of overwhelming Israeli assault. In Rafah, on the Gaza border with Egypt, a city that has attracted large numbers of Palestinians fleeing other parts of the territory, residents are preoccupied on this Sunday with finding shelter or any food and water supplies rather than with welcoming the new year. Health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave report that Israeli bombardment has forced nearly all residents of Gaza to leave their homes, resulting in the death of 21,800 people and leaving survivors facing the dangers of hunger, disease, and deprivation.
Hope for a political settlement to the conflict and the Palestinian quest for self-determination, which has lasted for 75 years, seems further away than ever. Susan Khadr, in tears, said, "The whole of 2023 has been suffering," adding that she wishes the new year will witness the end of the war. She continued, "Our whole life has become in the street. We are all displaced. We lost so much in 2023."
People gather around temporary tents in Rafah and in empty lands and fields. Schools run by the United Nations, which were designated as shelters early in the conflict, quickly filled with those whose homes were destroyed. In their plastic tents, with little belongings like blankets and cooking utensils, people mournfully remember their homes from which they were displaced and their previous lives.
