In Gaza, Hope In The Face Of Overwhelming Adversity

Since the escalation of violence on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack that claimed 1,200 lives and took over 250 hostages, Gaza has been thrust into the darkness of suffering and destruction. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had vowed to reduce Gaza into a ‘‘deserted island’’, and the consequences have been devastating. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the conflict has claimed the lives of more than 14,000 children in Gaza, with thousands more injured.

Much has been written about the loss of life in Gaza, but forced displacement can often cause just as much an impact. To escape death, many people have been forced to leave their homes and move to makeshift tents and shelters. According to UN estimates, around 1.9 million people are internally displaced. Half of them are children as per UNICEF reports.

In the southern town of Rafah, which now hosts over half of Gaza’s population, the situation is dire. The town's makeshift shelters are overflowing, with families huddled in tents or simply exposed to the elements. The World Food Programme estimates that addressing the dire food needs of the population would require 300 trucks per day, a logistical challenge compounded by constant bombardments and infrastructure breakdowns.

UN relief coordinator Martin Griffiths describes the condition of displaced people in Rafah as ‘‘abysmal’’. The destruction of homes, infrastructure and essential services has rendered the situation critical. Their living conditions are stalked by hunger, disease, and death according to Griffiths.

Amid the siege, schools, once havens of hope and learning, have been repurposed into overcrowded shelters, their walls scarred by bombings. Nearly 70 per cent of UNRWA schools are said have been damaged, some beyond repair, leaving over 6,25,000 students deprived of education and exposed to trauma that no child should endure. With many schools bombed or turned into shelters, teachers like Israa Abu Mustafa have taken extraordinary measures to continue providing education to students. Mustafa, whose house was destroyed, set up a makeshift classroom under a tent pitched on the rubble.

Her makeshift school provides a crucial sense of normalcy to children. With schools bombed or repurposed as shelters, Mustafa’s classroom is one of the few remaining options for education.

“What could be a child's wish? They have the right to learn in a safe environment, to play in a safe place, to not feel any fear,” Mustafa said to news agency Reuters.

However, not all children are able to study as many are being forced to adopt desperate measures to survive and support their displaced families. Mohammad Essam, another video creator from Gaza, shares videos of children struggling to make a living on the streets of war-torn Gaza. In one of them, a boy with a broken arm is seen selling bottles of water to earn money for food. In another, a young girl sells pistachios on the streets, working tirelessly to provide for her loved ones.

These scenes are all too common in a city ravaged by conflict, where countless children take on odd jobs, sell whatever they can, or even beg for spare change to feed hungry mouths. Many of these children are orphaned or caring for ailing parents.

The healthcare crisis in Gaza has reached alarming levels amidst the ongoing conflict and severe infrastructural damage. According to UN reports, over 22,500 individuals have sustained life-changing injuries as a result of the recent offensive. Only 17 out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain partially functional as per the World Health Organisation (WHO).

One of the most critical losses has been that of the Nasser Medical Complex, Gaza's only limb reconstruction and rehabilitation centre, which had been non-functional since December 2023 due to a lack of supplies and staff and was further damaged in a February 2024 raid. Dr Majed Jaber, a doctor based in Rafah, says, “Chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes and liver disease are killing more people than the airstrikes. The unavailability of medications and inadequate healthcare access contribute to high mortality rates from these chronic conditions.”

Gazans are forced to travel long distances to get medicines, often at high prices, making them inaccessible for some. “The absence of health facilities and functioning equipment makes it nearly impossible to manage the health of over two million people. These dire conditions are a testament to the occupation's impact,” Hazem shares in one of his videos.

Aid efforts have become a desperate game of survival. While international aid, including air-dropped supplies and sea shipments by organisations like World Central Kitchen, seeks to alleviate some of the suffering, distribution remains chaotic and fraught with obstacles. The simple act of getting food to those in need is hampered by looting, damaged roads and the constant threat of violence.

In Gaza, survival is not just about enduring the immediate dangers but about holding onto a semblance of life and hope in the face of overwhelming adversity. Amidst the battering by bombs and missiles, people have learned to find solace in fleeting moments of normalcy, clinging to their routines and to each other as they navigate a landscape marked by fear and hunger as well as the constant threat of death.