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In Northern Gaza, families face unimaginable hardships amid ongoing conflict, with starvation and displacement devastating lives. One mother’s testimony sheds light on their harrowing journey of survival and resilience.
“Living in the north of Gaza has always been difficult since the beginning of the war,” she begins. “The continuous threats and bombings have been relentless. Initially we refused to leave our home in the north despite the dangers, this is our home. But as the hostilities intensified, we were forced to move east and stayed there for a couple of months. We were 12 women in one room and 20 men in another. My three daughters and I were separated from my husband – a separation beyond our control.”
The constant movement took a severe toll on the family. “We were fleeing again and again,” she recounts. “After the west of Gaza was destroyed, we were told the area around the Al-Shifa (Hospital) would be safe, so we stayed there along with half a million others. It was overcrowded and barely liveable. Around 45 people from my family and my husband’s family were crammed into a 100-metre sq. flat. The continuous bombing and threats were terrifying. Every night, we heard bombings and wondered if we would ever wake up again.”
Returning to their partially destroyed home in February marked the beginning of another ordeal. “We had been away from our house for months. We tried making it as liveable as possible with what was available, we tried to rebuild. We were there for just 10 days when they dropped more leaflets warning of another military operation.
This scared us so we moved again to the east. My children didn’t understand why we had to keep moving. My eldest, 11, should be playing with friends, going to school, being a normal difficult teenager, not living in fear. Sometimes she had to calm me down because I was freaking out so bad. They had to grow up too soon, witnessing destruction, dead bodies in the streets, things children should never see.”
The family’s return to northern Gaza in early March brought severe hunger. “We survived on one meal a day, bread made from animal feed flour, because real flour was not available. One kilo of this flour cost up to 140 Shekels (about $50) we had no idea what grains were in it, but it was not normal bread flour. We had no rice, sugar, salt, or canned food. Often, I skipped meals for days to feed my children. Sometimes, I had to cook water with cornstarch just to give them something to eat.”
Food shortages worsened with time. “For months, we hadn’t seen vegetables or meat. By April, we were overjoyed to just see a cucumber and tomato. Can you imagine being happy just to see a cucumber? But it lasted only one month. By mid-May, there was barely anything left in the markets. The borders were closed, and only flour was being allowed into Gaza.”
Her fears of another hunger crisis loom large. “My two brothers from Jabalia, which was completely destroyed, are now staying with us because there’s nothing left of their home. Like every family in Gaza now, we are many families crammed into one apartment, fortunate to have it at all. Every day, we see less and less food on the shelves in the shops, and we know another period of starvation is imminent. I worry that we won’t survive another one. If the bombs don’t kill us, the lack of food might, if things don’t change soon.”
“Every night, as I try to settle my tired and hungry children to sleep, I often feel like giving up. However, I am reminded of a night a few weeks ago when my youngest daughter, only seven when the hostilities began, said during a bombing because I was hugging her so tightly, ‘Mom, you’re
suffocating me.’ I told her I wanted to keep her close because I didn’t want to die alone. She replied, ‘Mom, I don’t want to die. If you want to die, you go ahead and die alone. I am still in the second grade. I want to be in third grade next year.’ Her words broke my heart. Hundreds of thousands of little girls like her have the potential to achieve greatness but are being denied that opportunity. So, I keep fighting and surviving, dreaming that one day, hope and happiness will return to the lives of every little girl and boy in Gaza.”
This testimony is a haunting reminder of the human cost of conflict and the urgent need for humanitarian aid and a lasting resolution to prevent further suffering in Gaza. The story highlights the resilience and courage of the people of Northern Gaza amidst unimaginable challenges.
The Youth Vision Society began as an initiative by a group of young people who were enthusiastic and passionate about developing and building their local community and who wanted to provide hope for others
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