Reference :
V-P-IL-E-04086
Date :
26/01/2022
Caption :
Gaza City, al-Zaitoun neighbourhood. This family doesn't have any proper heating system and must heat her house with firewood. Each winter is an ordeal since the family had to move out of the flat she used to rent because she didn't have enough money to pay for it. Today, the family must rely on her neigbours' solidarity and humanitarian aid.
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Description :
ICRC's website, photo gallery, 02.02.2022.
"“Winter has become a nightmare for us. We all sleep in one room: my husband my four daughters, and my three sons,” says the mother of this family. She adds, “when it rains, the roof starts to leak. I spend the whole night changing the wet covers to keep my children warm. We can’t afford heating the room. So, we burn wood instead. I’m always worried the wood might cause a fire in the room. I can’t fall asleep because I don’t want to lose my children”. Her husband owns a donkey cart. He helps people deliver vegetables from the market to their homes in exchange for little money. The income of the family doesn’t exceed 50 shekels (15 USD) a month. They can’t afford electricity or cooking gas. They even had to sell the refrigerator and oven. Wood-fire is the only means left for them to cook, shower and keep the children warm.
Four rounds of major hostilities over the past decade and a half have taken a heavy toll on the delivery of essential services in Gaza. Between the escalation in May 2021, damaged and destroyed infrastructure, and restrictions on the entry of goods, thousands of people in Gaza struggle to make a living. Limited power supply and damaged sewage and drainage networks exacerbate the threat of heavy rainfall on Gazans and put them under a lot of pressure daily.
"The lack of long-term solutions and improvements leads to frustration and a sense of hopelessness among the population. People need a glimmer of hope. They need a future to look forward to," says Mirjam Lea Mueller, Head of ICRC Sub-Delegation in Gaza. She adds, “the complicated and often lengthy process of importing goods into Gaza poses challenges to the effective functioning of essential infrastructure. We welcome the recent steps taken by the Israeli authorities to ease the process and hope this will continue to ensure the provision of essential services, such as water, wastewater management and power supply in the Gaza Strip. People deserve to live in dignity, and their basic needs must be met".
To help alleviate the suffering of Gazans during the winter, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), with the support of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement partners, has assisted around 500 households with emergency relief supplies, including kitchen sets, mattresses, blankets, heaters, plastic sheets and tarpaulins."
Original material :
digital
Resolution :
6593x4395
Orientation :
landscape
Colour/B&W :
colour
