Children sift through the rubble after an airstrike on a building, collecting household items from beneath it. Families stand in line to receive bags of flour distributed by UN workers. Volunteers cook lentil soup to provide a sense of warmth to those displaced after their bodies were soaked by rain. Life continues in the Gaza Strip today, Tuesday, in the seventh week of the war between Israel and Hamas, with a new situation marked by destruction, displacement, and daily struggles for food while trying to keep bodies and clothes dry from the rain.
In Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of residents from the north have fled to escape the heavy Israeli bombardment, locals reported that a nighttime airstrike on a building resulted in the deaths of seven, most of whom were children. Younes Abdul Hadi, a local resident, said while examining the debris with others, "There is human flesh on the walls and in the streets here. What have these children done?" Children nearby were digging through the scattered rubble in the street beneath the targeted building, which still stood, although almost an entire floor had collapsed.
Israel claims its strikes target Hamas infrastructure based on intelligence information. It blames Hamas for civilian casualties, alleging that the Islamic group, which it vowed to eliminate, uses civilians as human shields. However, this narrative did not resonate with Abdul Hadi, who felt profound anger towards Israel and held it responsible for both the casualties and the misery they are experiencing. He said, "We are all targets; wherever we go, we are targeted. Children, men, and the elderly—everyone is targeted. They chase us in Gaza City or anywhere else. They ask people to leave, then strike them on the way, hundreds of people."
In Rafah, UN workers unloaded a truck full of flour bags for aid. People carried these bags on bicycles, donkey-drawn carts, or on their backs. The food aid arriving in Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt is not enough to adequately feed everyone. This assistance aims to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of residents in the sector. Taghrid Jaber, a displaced person from Beit Hanoun in the north, said, "We are 13 people. These three or four bags of flour they give us are not enough. We used to take eight or ten bags. This is not sufficient." Taghrid added that her family lives in tents and cannot keep their bodies dry when it rains. She noted that the children feel extremely cold, sleep on the ground, and need blankets. She mentioned they had survived for days eating only rice before the flour arrived.
Back in Khan Younis, a group of volunteers collaborated to cook soup in large pots for the displaced in one of the tent cities, where donors provide money or food ingredients to complete the task. Men, women, and children stood holding empty containers and plastic bowls waiting for their share of the soup, while volunteers used a ladle and a long wooden board to cook the soup in three large metal pots. Displaced person Muna Al-Masri said, "Lentil soup was just an ordinary dish that no one cared about, but now it feels better than lamb for us. We are grateful that lentil soup is available for us now, thanks to these volunteers."
Hussein Abu Ramadan, also displaced, organized the soup cooking process over a quiet fire burning on damp sandy ground. He said, "Lentil soup is a traditional dish among Palestinians... When it rained, no one was safe in their tent. The rain and cold reached everyone, especially those with children. That’s why the volunteers started thinking of providing lentil soup, a winter dish that can warm people."
Although the soup was sufficient to provide some comfort, it was still impossible for even the children to forget their miserable situation. Maram Al-Tarabeesh, a young girl with braided hair, said, "The life we are living now is not life. There is no life, no food, no drink, nothing at all. Even the rain is pouring on us. We cannot sleep because of it."
