Raafat Mohammad Al-Daour, a 48-year-old father from Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, once had a family of seven. However, after Israeli forces killed one of his sons, their lives were forever changed. With the relentless Israeli shelling that surrounded their home, Raafat and his family had no choice but to flee, seeking refuge in a tent in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. "After 45 days of airstrikes and constant bombardment, with one of my sons killed, we made the difficult decision to leave our home and seek safety in Zawaida," he recalls. 

A year has passed since the war erupted, and Raafat’s family is still living in harsh, uncertain conditions. The makeshift cloth tent they built offers no protection from the extreme temperatures—scorching heat in summer and biting cold in winter. "Before the war, I relied on social assistance to support my family, but now, we have nothing. We survive on food from a local charity kitchen, eating just twice a day, often in very small portions," he explains. "We share whatever we have, but many days we go hungry." 

The family’s basic needs remain unmet. Raafat’s children have no new clothes, and he cannot afford even the simplest necessities. "My daughters and wife need personal items—things every woman and child should have—but we can’t give them anything. How could we, when we have nothing ourselves?" he says.

The conditions in the tents are deplorable. Sewage flows through the area, adding to the risk of disease, and with winter fast approaching, Raafat’s worries deepen. "We are scared of the cold, and the illnesses that come with it. Our tent offers no protection from the rain. I’m waiting, hoping someone will give me some nylon to cover it, so it doesn’t flood when the weather turns." 

As Raafat reflects on the past year, he can’t help but feel that they’ve escaped one form of death only to face another—slower, but just as certain. "We ran from the bombs, but now we are stuck, living day by day, just trying to survive."