In our last ‘Voices from Gaza’ blog we heard from Sherine, a mother of four who works in our Orphan and Child Welfare Team in Gaza. Today Sherine tells us about the difficulties of everyday life in the conflict zone. On this blessed day, as communication remains disrupted in Gaza, our brothers and sisters, including Sister Sherine, rely on your prayers and support more than ever.
"As for the essentials in life- food, drink, clothing and shelter, they are amongst the most challenging things to obtain now. Even in my comparatively better situation, we haven't had any clean drinking water for three days now and all the shops are empty: money has become worthless. Shelters are now completely overcrowded and the people there are living in extremely poor living conditions. However, most of the displaced are now sleeping on the streets as they cannot find a place to seek any sort of refuge or safety.
I see this every day from my window—people walking on foot from distant areas in the north and Gaza, unable to protect themselves from the biting cold at night. They lie on the streets, exhausted from thirst and hunger.
I will never forget the sight of the children when we distributed drinking three days ago. They embraced the water bottles like long lost friends.
Food is no better. There is only one bakery in the central area. Daily, I see thousands of people standing in line, hoping to get one loaf of bread. I used to send my son at 1:30 AM to get a loaf of bread but now the bakery has been closed for three days. There is no fuel.
We hope that our message serves as a reason to end the conflict and also a lifeline for the orphans , who have lost their fathers or both their parents. We entrust you to Allah, who does not neglect His trust. May Allah bless you and reward you with the best for us.”
We cannot thank you enough for the generosity you have shown so far. With your support, our dedicated team in Gaza are delivering your aid every single day in difficult circumstances. But we need to keep up that work and continue the support we all give, together for our Ummah. Let us remember them in our duas today, supplicate for their relief, and contribute what you can to make a difference.
Thank you.