Gaza- When Youssef Ibrahim was displaced from the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip to the city of Rafah in the far south, 12 days ago, he expected to find tents ready to shelter his family of 21 people.
But he was surprised by a very difficult and harsh reality, as he did not find anyone to provide him with any service, and the family was forced to sleep in the open in the bitter cold.
After more than a week of waiting, and without any signs on the horizon to help the family provide shelter, Youssef decided to start making his tent himself and at his own expense. He borrowed some money from his father-in-law, and bought wood and nails from the market, in addition to nylon and plastic wrap. Thick plastic) to cover the tent.
Youssef’s family is located in the “Mawasi Rafah” area adjacent to the border with Egypt, which includes – according to some estimates – about 300,000 displaced people, out of more than a million people who took refuge in the city, whose population before the outbreak of the war was approximately 250,000 people.
Double tragedy
Hundreds of thousands of displaced people began arriving in Rafah with the start of the Israeli ground attack on Khan Yunis at the beginning of last December. Their numbers increased with the start of the ground attack on the central Gaza Strip governorate about two weeks ago.
The mayor of Rafah, Ahmed Al-Sufi, said – in a previous interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Net – that the Al-Mawasi area lacks infrastructure, and does not have sewage or any vital facilities.
The situation of Youssef’s family is no different from that of tens of thousands of displaced people who are forced to make their own tents, which increases the scale of the tragedy they face.
A visitor to the city of Rafah can easily notice many families making simple tents on the sidewalks, near health centers and schools, and on empty plots, to shelter them.
Youssef, who holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting, does not have previous experience in making tents, but he worked hard to prepare them according to the advice of his displaced neighbors.
His family was forced to flee from Nuseirat to Rafah under threats from the Israeli occupation army, which ordered residents of large areas of the Central Governorate – especially the Bureij, Nuseirat and Al-Maghazi camps – to leave their homes.
Youssef complains of the high cost and exhaustion caused by preparing the tent, in light of the harsh living conditions that the residents of the Gaza Strip have been living in for more than 90 days.
He told Tel Aviv Tribune Net while he was busy assembling the tent’s wood that he had submitted requests to relief organizations to give him a tent to house his family, but they asked him to “wait for his turn,” so he was forced to make the decision to make the tent himself.
Suffering and helplessness
Youssef adds, “I cannot wait any longer. 12 days have passed and we have been out in the cold in the winter. I borrowed money, bought wood and nylon, and started making the tent with my money so that we could manage our affairs. God knows the situation.”
Regarding the cost of making it, he says, “The wood, shade, and transportation cost me about 7,000 shekels (about 1,930 dollars). We are a large family consisting of 4 families, and we need a spacious tent.”
He complains about what he called “the lack of justice in the distribution of tents,” but relief institutions say that the extent of the displaced people’s needs exceeds their capabilities.
Estimates by local authorities in Gaza and international organizations indicate that 85% of Gazans have become displaced far from their homes and residential areas, including about a million Palestinians who have sought refuge in the city of Rafah, since the outbreak of war on October 7th.
Expressing the state of helplessness he feels, Youssef says, “We do not know what to do or where to go.”
Next to Youssef, Ibrahim Abu Libdeh is waiting for someone to help him complete his tent. A week ago, Abu Libdeh erected the structure of the tent from wooden planks that he obtained from a “philanthropist,” but he was unable to cover them with plastic cover.
Abu Lebda told Tel Aviv Tribune Net, “My brother and I have been sleeping outdoors for two weeks, and our women and children are sleeping as guests in a tent with relatives of ours.”
He added, “I am waiting for someone to help me buy shade and nylon so I can complete the tent. I do not have a mattress. I took a mattress and covers from a philanthropist for me and my brother. We are dying from the cold, and now we are waiting for God’s relief.”
Exodus and poverty
Dr. Ahmed Jandia, a urology specialist, chose to buy a ready-made tent, for a sum of one thousand shekels (about $270), to shelter his family.
Some people are working on making ready-made tents to sell to displaced families.
The “Jandiya” family was displaced several times, first from the Shuja’iya neighborhood, east of Gaza City, towards the Nuseirat camp in the center of the Strip, then to the neighboring Bureij camp, and then to the city of Rafah.
He stated – in an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Net in front of his tent – that his family fled the Shujaiya neighborhood under the bombardment of Israeli missiles without being able to take any belongings or money with them.
He added, “We went out under the bombing. Our money and our homes were destroyed. By God, we went out with only our clothes. We did not find shoes. We walked barefoot. When we arrived here, we had to buy this tent at our expense.”
The doctor explained that making and purchasing tents burdens the displaced people and increases their suffering because they do not have the necessary funds.
He added, “The cost of the tent is a thousand shekels so far, and we still want things for it. I have three boys and two girls. We do not have any bedding. I am a doctor. It is shameful for me to say this, but our situation is very miserable.”
He continued, “If you come and see me at night, there is no cover, no mattresses, no utensils, nothing, and no good water. We buy sweet water. The money we have is only for food.”
The doctor confirmed, “I suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure, and a heart. I had a heart operation 6 days before the war, and my heart stopped 5 times in Nusseirat and could stop at any moment. I say to the officials: Enough, have mercy on us. Look at our children, our wounded, and our elderly.”