In the south of the Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have sought refuge, Assem faces a daily dilemma: shower or save water for drinking.
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Dozens of Palestinians are lining up at toilets, many not having showered in days, after Israel cut off water, electricity and food following the deadly Israeli attack. Hamas against Israeli territory on October 7th.
“Water is a problem,” said Assem, who welcomed “guests” from the Rimal and Tal al-Hawa neighborhoods who had fled Israeli bombings in the northern Gaza Strip at his home in Khan Yunis.
“Every day we think about how we can save water. “When we shower, we don’t drink water,” regrets the resident, who did not want to give his last name.
Ahmed Hamid fled to Rafah with his wife and seven of his children a few days ago after fleeing Gaza City.
“We haven’t showered for days and we even have to wait in line to go to the toilet,” complains the 43-year-old father.
Facing the prospect of a ground offensive against Palestinian territory, the army on Saturday urged civilians in the northern Gaza Strip – 1.1 million people out of a total population of 2.4 million – not to “hesitate” to seek refuge in the south.
“There is no food” and the prices for the few products available have skyrocketed, complains Ahmad Hamid. “All we find is canned goods, tuna and cheese.”
“I feel like a heavy burden and I can’t do anything.”
AFP journalists saw thousands of people on the streets and in Rafah and Khan Younes, sleeping in the gardens of hospitals, in UNRWA schools, at the UN refugee agency or staying with relatives, crammed into cramped apartments.
Since the unprecedented Hamas attack that killed more than 1,400 people, according to authorities, Israel has tightened the siege of the Gaza Strip, where Israeli attacks have left 2,670 dead, according to local authorities.
On Sunday, Israel said it had resumed water distribution in the southern Gaza Strip. The municipality of Bani Souhaila has confirmed this, but it is not known whether this is the case in all places in the south.
Mona Abdel Hamid, 55, sought refuge with relatives in Rafah but found herself a “guest” in the home of people she did not know.
“I feel humiliated and ashamed. We don’t have many clothes, most of them are dirty and there is no water to wash them. There is no electricity, no water, no internet. I feel like I’m losing my humanity.”
50-year-old Sabah Mousbeh found refuge with friends in Rafah along with about twenty of her relatives, including her husband and daughter.
“The worst and most dangerous thing is that we can’t find water. None of us take a bath because water is scarce,” she says.
Although tens of thousands of people have fled to the south of the territory, the Israeli Air Force has continued to target certain southern areas.
On Sunday, the Rafah and Khan Younes areas were bombed.
“Look at the massive destruction. “They say there is terrorism here,” shouts Alaa al-Hams, pointing to the rubble in a district of Rafah hit by an attack.
“Where is the humanity they talk about? Where are human rights? Here are all the civilians who do not belong to any group, but they died (in the raids). They’re all dead,” he says.
Samira smokes kassab in the middle of the ruins of her house in Rafah. “Where are we going? Where are the Arab countries? We have spent our lives in the diaspora. Our house, where all my children lived, was bombed.
“We slept on the streets and have nothing left,” she complains. “My daughter has cancer, I can’t take her to the hospital and I myself suffer from high blood pressure and diabetes.”
Despite everything, she pulled herself together and made the victory sign, her grandchildren at her side. “I won’t leave no matter what, even if I die. We ask our neighbors for bread, but we will not give up any grain of our land.”