Graveyards are now last option shelters in Gaza for Palestinians amid ruins

Palestinian displaced people who have been living in the area since Israel’s devastating homes have pitched tents in graveyards as a last resort because the humanitarian crisis there is still severe despite the fragile ceasefire agreement.

According to Hind Khoudary, a reporter for Al Jazeera from Khan Younis, this graveyard was not intended for the living. However, dozens of families have no where to go right now, in this case.

Recommended Stories

list of 3 itemsend of list

Khoudary claimed that the site was the last free space available, and that Palestinians were camping there because they didn’t want to.

“Graveyards have turned into shelters out of desperation rather than of choice,” she continued.

The graveyard was the only option Rami Musleh, a father of 12, could not find for him because he had been driven from Beit Hanoon, a town in northern Gaza.

The emotional strain is severe for parents. Musleh told Al Jazeera, “Having children raised among tombstones only makes the psychological trauma of war worse.”

Sabah Muhammed, a resident, claimed that the cemeteries have since lost all of their significance.

“Graveyards are now obedient witnesses to a living crisis,” the poet writes. She told Al Jazeera, “The bare minimum to survive is nothing more than water, electricity, and privacy.”

The only place for the living in Gaza is now the land of the dead.

Approximately 90% of the population in the Gaza Strip has been displaced as a result of the conflict, according to the UN. Many people have been displaced repeatedly, sometimes ten times.

As a result of Israel’s forced orders to evacuate residents of northern Gaza and Gaza City, Palestinians are forced into overcrowded shelters in southern Gaza.

Many displaced Palestinians, who lack a stable income and rely on insufficient humanitarian assistance, find it expensive to rent even a square meter of land to pitch a tent.

According to UNRWA, Gaza has been completely cleared of its debris, with 61 million tonnes of it now covered by UNRWA. Families were reportedly searching for water and shelter in the ruins.

Israel continues to severely restrict humanitarian aid to Gaza despite a fragile ceasefire that has been in place since October 10. Israel can’t use starvation “as a method of warfare,” according to the International Court of Justice’s decision on Wednesday.