In the Ruins of Gaza, a Grandmother Brings 'A Bit of Life' to Daily Existence

In the devastated Gaza, a grandmother is trying to restore some semblance of normalcy to daily life. Barefoot and dusty, Hiam Mouqdad's grandchildren wander through the ruins of their Al Nasr neighborhood in search of drinking water and building materials. "Who wants to help me carry the water? We need it for showers, laundry, and dishes?" she asks, to which her grandchildren Naeem, Moamen, and Lulu eagerly respond, "Me, me!"

Clutching a large black bucket with one hand and their grandmother's hand with the other, the three little ones, all under ten, navigate the debris-strewn path without paying attention to the crumbled concrete around them.

They no longer say, "I want to go to daycare or school," but instead, "I want to go fetch water and food parcels," explains 62-year-old Hiam to AFP. Before the war triggered by Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the children would have been playing in a park. Now, they play amidst the ruins of their shattered city.

As they walk down the deserted street, all that can be heard is the sound of their footsteps in the dust and the buzzing of a drone overhead.

Upon reaching a pile of concrete blocks, the children carefully sift through the rubble despite the dangers of buried explosives. Their finds include torn pieces of cardboard, a flattened milk carton, and a few twigs—enough to start a small fire.

Hiam has lost her home and loved ones during the conflict, which has devastated three-quarters of the buildings in Gaza and buried the territory under over 61 million tons of debris, according to UN data analyzed by AFP. Since the ceasefire on October 10, part of her family has returned to Gaza City from the south, where the children's parents remain.

Among the ruins of their home, flattened by a bulldozer, they have set up a makeshift oasis: a white UN plastic tent, green tarps as carpets, and sheets of metal to outline their sandy yard.

"When they announced the truce, tears of joy and sadness flowed from my eyes," recalls Hiam. However, daily life is far from returning to its previous state. Living amidst the debris "affects us, our children, and their psychological well-being," she says, to the point where "the children have started wetting themselves frequently."

She describes the "fear every day" and the struggle to obtain food. She collects water from a restored well located 500 meters from their camp, but its operation depends on the availability of fuel.

While the UN and its partners claim to be ramping up aid, including distributing one million hot meals daily in Gaza, the World Health Organization states that the assistance entering the Palestinian territory is "insufficient." It often arrives as cash transfers, and between October 11 and 25, more than 17,700 vulnerable households received the equivalent of 325 euros through digital wallet transfers.

The Mouqdad family "has no income" and survives on noodles. "I can't buy vegetables or anything else," she says, stirring the noodles in a container without water. Laundry is done by hand in a metal basin, and thin mattresses lay out for sleeping in the tent. As night falls, the day's activities come to a halt.

"I light a candle because I have no electricity, battery, or anything," says Hiam. Israel has repeatedly cut off aid to Gaza during the war, worsening already dire humanitarian conditions.

Despite the deprivation, "we want to bring a little life back to daily existence" and feel that there is hope, she adds.