Gazans daily fight for survival amid harsh winter weather

Amid the harsh winter weather, life for Palestinians living in Gaza is a daily fight for survival amid the destruction wrought by Israel’s bombardment of the enclave.

Almost four months into a tenuous US-brokered ceasefire, most are still living in makeshift shelters, have little or no income, and struggle to get food and water.

A group of people gathered with their plastic bottles and jerrycans in the Muwasi tent camp in southern Gaza on Friday, to fill them with drinking water.

They routinely have to walk long distances every day to fetch clean drinking water, and then ration each drop until the water trucks arrive again the next day.

“It takes three to four hours to get 100 litres of water. The water suffering is very difficult,” said Mohamed Abu Rabie, who was displaced from Rafah.

As children and adults line up to fill their bottles and jerrycans, patiently waiting for their turn, he said he hoped that someone might provide water trucks near their tents.

Many of people sat atop their jerrycans, taking a quick break before they had to carry the heavy water in a tiresome journey back to their tents.

“Since before the war, Muwasi was a desert area. It did not have any basic necessities,” said Saddam Naji, who had to travel over two kilometres to fetch water. “There is no transportation. We are exhausted.”

Elsewhere in Muwasi, people crowd around a field charity kitchen with pots and plastic bags in the hope of getting some rice.

While some shops and markets have opened with limited supplies, many do not have the money to buy anything.

Tamara al-Masry, who was displaced from Beit Hanoun, said the situation is dire.

”They can't afford it. They come to the charity kitchens, and there's famine. There's food, but people can't buy it. There's no income. I have no income,” she said.

Despite the ceasefire, only small amounts of humanitarian aid are trickling into Gaza, and with sporadic Israeli strikes continuing, many are anxious that the war may start again.