Tayseer Rajab Naseer, a 47-year-old father of six from Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, has seen his life spiral into hardship because of Israel’s ongoing military campaign. His family, mostly young children, now live in a makeshift nylon tent pitched along the beach in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza. With winter approaching, Tayseer’s tent, made of tattered nylon, offers little protection from the cold sea breeze. "I can’t afford to replace it. I built it with whatever I could find—some wood, scraps of nylon given to us by people who pity our situation”, he told Al Mezan. 

The conditions are harsh. The family’s bathroom is simply a hole dug in the ground, covered with blankets, right next to the tent. Basic needs are a constant struggle. "I can’t even afford a bag of flour," Tayseer explains. "It costs more than 100 shekels now, and sometimes we go a whole day without eating." On the rare occasions when flour is available, a bag of bread may be sold for just three shekels—subsidized by aid organizations—but even that small amount of money is out of his reach.

The suffering has been compounded by his son Khaled’s illness. The young boy has developed painful skin ulcers all over his body. Tayseer rushed him to Al-Aqsa Hospital, where the doctor prescribed medication, but the treatment was unavailable at the clinic, and Tayseer couldn’t afford to purchase it elsewhere. "It feels like I’m helpless," he says.

What makes their plight even more heartbreaking is the widespread need across Gaza. Once, there were people who helped Tayseer and his family, offering what little they could. Now, those same people are struggling to survive, too. "Everyone is in need now," Tayseer says, his words heavy with despair.

More than a year since the outbreak of the war, Tayseer’s dreams are simple. "I just want to go back home to Beit Hanoun," he says quietly. "I want to work again, to provide for my family, to feel that they are safe."