Gaza- After she succeeded in escaping from the “claws of death” in Gaza City, Gazan mother Aya Haboub faces a new challenge, which is to protect her one-week-old baby, “Tia,” from the cold and winter rains.
In a tent containing 19 people, set up in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, in the city of Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza strip, The young mother says that her infant suffers from a cold and a cold, expressing her deep concern about the fate that awaits them during the coming winter.
Haboub told Al Jazeera Net that she and her infant miraculously escaped death in the Al-Nasr neighborhood in Gaza City, where Israeli tanks surrounded them for 4 days, without water, food, or any necessities of life for her and her daughter.
On Tuesday morning, heavy rain fell on the Gaza Strip, accompanied by strong winds, which exacerbated the suffering of hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians who fled their areas as a result of brutal massacres carried out by the Israeli occupation army.
No aid
Fear for the baby due to the rain prompted the Haboub family to hide her in one of the cars in the area. The baby’s mother says, “We fled on foot, and the road was terrifying and very difficult. When we arrived, the rain and extreme cold surprised us in the tent, and my baby girl got a cold.”
The mother added that the rain affected the little girl greatly, pointing to some pimples spread on the newborn’s face, which were caused by the gas that the Israeli army sprayed in Gaza, according to her explanation.
Haboob stated that the tent lacked sufficient bedding and covers for the 19 people in it. In the same conversation, the baby’s mother confirms that – despite her and her baby’s suffering – she did not receive any assistance from any party to help her face the harsh conditions.
Pointing to her daughter, she adds, “This baby needs clothes, blankets, diapers, and medicine, but no one is helping us. We are tired of the tent, and we want the war to end and to return to our homes.”
windy and rainy
In the far west of the hospital courtyard, Bashir Abu Armana’s family set up a simple tent, but the rain and wind caused it to fall, and the few bedding in it drowned.
While Abu Armana, accompanied by some of his family men, was trying to repair the tent, which had fallen due to the wind and rain, he told Al Jazeera Net, “In this tent, 34 people live. We are trying to restore it because it contains theWomen and children, but us men sleep in the open outside.”
Abu Armana tells how he fled the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, north of Gaza City, because of the Israeli raids that destroyed his house.
Children out in the open
The tent residents suffer from a lack of bedding and blankets, as Abu Armana says that the adults take off their clothes and use them to keep the children warm. He points out that they did not receive any aid from any institutions, or from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees (UNRWA). He added that some “good people” provided him with some assistance to set up the tent, in addition to some food.
The displaced Gazan adds, “We are in a difficult situation. There is no food or water. Yesterday, our children ate breakfast in the afternoon.”
Near Abu Armana’s tent, the 11-year-old girl, Samah Jallo, was watching the scene silently, before she intervened by saying, “The rain entered the tent… Water came down from the nylon (the roof of the tent) and drowned the mattress.”
She added to Al Jazeera Net, “We are drenched by the rain. At night we get very cold, and there is not enough bedding or adequate covers. I fear the coming of winter… We sleep, and suddenly it rains on us.”
The rain increased the suffering of Shaker Daher, who was cooking bread for his family on firewood, in front of his tent. He told Al Jazeera Net, “We fled from the bombing in Tal al-Zaatar (in the North Governorate), and here we suffer from the rain, the storms, and the lack of food and drink.”
Scarcity of medicine
Shaker Daher says, “We have many problems. We are looking for food, flour, and firewood to bake on, not to mention the problem of searching for water…and now we have the problem of rain and wind causing nylon and fabrics to fly.” He pointed out that the floor of the tent turned into “mud” due to the rain, and drowned the mattress.
The same speaker complained about the lack of aid received from any party, adding, “We sleep on mats, because there are no mattresses. We got 4 blankets from some charitable people (individuals, not institutions).” He continues, “We adults get very cold, so what about the children?”
Daher stated that all his children suffered from cold-related illnesses, such as diarrhea and colic, noting that there were no medications to treat them. Governmental pharmacies and hospitals are suffering from running out of medicines and medical consumables as a result of the complete Israeli siege.
Bombardment and thunder
Daher’s daughter, called “Dima,” took the initiative to talk, explaining what happened to them this morning, saying, “My father was sleeping when the rain came, so my father got up to repair the tent, and went to the market and bought nails and nylon.”
Her sister, Lina, intervened, saying, “The wind is strong, and we were very cold and could not find a place to warm ourselves… We get very cold at night. There are not enough blankets and we do not sleep at night because of the sound of bombing, thunder, and the sounds of planes.”
