‘Indescribable’ pain following year of war in Gaza | UN News
A Palestinian man living in a refugee camp in northern Gaza has talked of the ‘indescribable’ pain he has experienced over the past year as the conflict in the beleaguered enclave continues.
The Israeli response in Gaza has claimed the lives of over 40,000 Palestinians in the enclave, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health.
In addition, close to 90 per cent of the population has been displaced – many forced to move several times.
‘Death row’
Many Gazans feel as if “everyone has been put on death row” since the war began, according to senior humanitarian officer Jonanthan Whittall at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
“Either they've been killed by bombs and bullets, or they’re being slowly suffocated by the lack of means to survive,” he said, adding that “it seems that the only distinction being made is at the speed at which you die.”
One year of ‘destruction, displacement and desperation’
A year of “destruction, displacement and desperation” has left all of Gaza in ruins and almost all Palestinians forced out of their own homes, pushed into just 13 per cent of the total area of the Gaza Strip, according to Mr. Whittall.
“I wish life could go back to the way it was before the war. I hope, even though it's impossible, that my family members who were martyred will come back,” said Mr. Aita.
Mr. Aita also underscored the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza.
“To get filtered water, we stand in lines under the sun just to fill two gallons of water. We also struggle to gather wood to light a fire,” he said, adding that he now lives with around 12 people in a small classroom.
Considering the lack of food and safe water, the insufficient shelter and the collapsed health system, Mr. Whittall lamented that OCHA is obstructed from delivering humanitarian assistance “every single day”.
Hope to return to the ‘old and ordinary’
Despite all the destruction and loss of life, Mr. Aita’s resilience remains.
“We won’t give up no matter what the occupation imposes on us and destroys, we’ll rebuild. God willing, we’ll come back stronger,” he remarked.
He plans to reopen the business and keep his father’s name alive.
