Palestinians cling to life in Rafah

Palestinians buying goods at a street market in Rafah

In the cramped spaces between tents in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, Palestinians are struggling to survive amidst the ongoing conflict with Israel.

A young boy, barefoot and wearing a pot on his head, smiles. Another child carries a jerry can much larger than himself, filled with water. Men sit at partially empty tables selling canned goods, and laundry hangs from every available line. The world's attention is on Rafah, a once-quiet town along the Egyptian border, now likely to be Israel's next focal point in its conflict with Hamas.

In recent weeks, Rafah has seen a significant increase in size as hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians seek refuge in tents or the homes of friends and relatives. The estimated 1.5 million people in the town, representing more than half of Gaza's population, have nowhere to go as an offensive has devastated large areas of the urban landscape in other parts of the territory.

U.N. officials express concerns about the potential catastrophic impact of an attack on Rafah, with over 600,000 children at risk. Such an assault could also lead to the collapse of the struggling humanitarian aid system that sustains Gaza's population. Israel's Western allies have also voiced their apprehensions.

Israel asserts that capturing Rafah is necessary for the destruction of Hamas and the release of hostages held by militants.

In the Gaza Strip, including Rafah, food scarcity is widespread. Crowds gather at bakeries, hoping to secure a few pitas. Some individuals resort to baking their own with whatever flour is available. Despite the challenges, daily life persists, with people going about their routines, such as getting haircuts, wearing unique dresses, and navigating puddles near tents. In a surreal contrast, children find moments of joy on a makeshift Ferris wheel amid the ongoing war, now in its fifth month.

Source: The Associated Press