In Pictures – Living through war in Gaza

There was no let up on attacks on Gaza throughout 2024. Around 45,000 Palestinians have now been killed, with the UN’s children’s agency dubbing Gaza the most dangerous place on earth to be a child. Nearly everyone in Gaza has been displaced from their homes and facing extreme hunger. Around 350,000 people even face famine-like conditions.  

It’s civilians in Gaza who have borne the brunt of Israel’s bombardment, and after more than a year of war, we are only seeing an escalation in their suffering. In northern Gaza, the Israeli military has been carrying out a ground offensive since early October and continue to impose a tightened siege that has left up to 75,000 people without access to food, water, electricity or medical care. 

Christian Aid commissioned photojournalists Majdi Fathi and Anas Baba to capture the impact of the ongoing war on daily life in Gaza. Like everyone in Gaza, both Majdi and Anas have been impacted and are themselves displaced and living in temporary shelters. The below images capture a glimpse of daily life for people in Gaza.  

Abed Al Menaam Kaloub sits with his 7-year-old son Alaa Kulab amidst the rubble near their home where 70 extended members of the family now live. Tragically, Abed’s 10-year-old son was killed. Their severely damaged home could collapse at any minute. The building has no functioning toilets due to the destruction of the sewage system in Khan Younis, leaving them with no choice but to dump their waste outside.

Abed’s nieces and nephews are pictured in the badly damaged home he shares with his extended family. The children use ladders to go between floors as the staircase has been destroyed. Abed said: "We don't have a stairs, walls or running water. The only thing we have here is us as a family. The only thing we care about is to keep ourselves safe. We have lost many relatives."

A girl plays in front of a destroyed mosque she lives across from. She said: "this is the only place I can run freely, where there is no rubble in the way".  Photojournalist Anas Baba explained how careful people have to be of explosives in the rubble which may go off when disturbed. Anas said: "People are afraid to attend mosque now in case they are targeted. Damage to electricity supply means there are no microphones. You no longer hear the call the prayer which is at the heart of daily life.”

People gather to retrieve spoilt flour that has been dropped into a rubbish dump in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. In desperate circumstances, people  have had no choice but to collect spoiled and dumped flour. It is used both as fuel for the fire or to eat.

Despite the difficulties people in Gaza face every day, Christian Aid’s local partners continue to do all they can to support those most in need. Our longstanding Irish Aid funded partner in Gaza, Culture & Free Thought Association (CFTA), is providing fun and learning activities for displaced children to help them keep on top of school learning and also offer much needed respite from the heaviness and trauma of war. The children use cardboard boxes as desks to avoid having to write on the floor.

Despite being forced to flee her home, 22-year-old Maha Al Astal still decided to pursue what she loved. She opened a women's beauty salon and clothes shop from inside her tent in al Mawasi, an area of Gaza full of displaced people. Maha’s shop is called 'Cinderella'. She said; "The most surprising thing is that women are getting married. They keep their beauty regime going, so they pay me to trim their hair and do a manicure. It is also helping with my income".  

Journalist Anas Baba explained that "women in Gaza take pride in their appearance and that it's a source of dignity for them to carry on with this, despite the difficult circumstances.” 

Eleven-year-old Fatima holds her pet cat in front of the tent she lives in with her mum Darine and younger brother Hassan on the beach in the al-Mawasi area. Their hair has gone blonde, bleached from increased exposure to the sun. Despite the horror of the ongoing war, Fatima carries on with her hobby of making bracelets and sharing them with her friends.  

Despite the al-Mawasi area being referred to as a 'humanitarian zone', it’s been hit multiple times. CFTA provides drinking water, food and shelter to families as well as school activities to children living in this tented area.

Darine is pictured next to her six-year-old son Hassan as she hangs clothes out to dry beside their tent pitched on the beachfront in al-Mawasi. Her family are also being supported by Christian Aid’s local partner CFTA. She said: "I miss privacy, I miss having my cup of coffee on my own balcony every morning, without hundreds of displaced people all around me. I miss peace of mind.”