‘I lost everything imaginable’: Women in Gaza recall how a year of war has upended their lives

A year of war has seen life for people in Gaza change beyond recognition.

At least nine out of ten people in Gaza have been displaced during the last year, some of them as many as nine or ten times.

With as much as 85% of Gaza placed under so-called evacuation orders, people have been forced to live in ever more overcrowded and unhygienic conditions, where disease and illness are rife.

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Three women told ActionAid how they had been affected and how, despite the overwhelming challenges they face, they are continuing to support their families and their communities.

Asmaa, 40, a project coordinator at Wefaq Society for Women and Child Care, a women’s rights organisation that supports women and girls in Gaza

At the beginning of the aggressions on the Gaza Strip, from 7 October to the end of December, I spent these months in my home. But by the end of December, Israeli authorities dropped pamphlets telling us to evacuate. We had to leave our home in the middle of winter. We left for the west of Gaza, which was supposed to be a safe place. We set up tents and lived there for about two and a half months. 

Everyone remembers the Israeli military operation the night of Eid, which was carried out on Nuseirat City. When that happened, we had to flee with nothing at all. We were displaced to the west of Gaza, where I still live in a tent, I share with my family and relatives, up until this moment. 

The war has had numerous negative effects. I lost the safety I used to feel. I lost everything imaginable, from my house to my safety, privacy, and dignity. The war took away the house we spent so much time building, all our past efforts, and our children’s future and the life we saved up every penny for… Our memories, hopes, and aspirations. These were all stolen from us. 

The women in our team are making amazing efforts in the community. They leave their families and homes, even with the ongoing war, to help other women with their needs. In comparison to the times before the war, we’re looking at a huge gap in the services available.  

Our offices, equipment, and office building were destroyed. We barely have any resources left to continue our daily work. All parts of our community are in need of social and mental health support, as well as moral and financial support. 

My team and I are part of the displaced women of the community, so we are faced with trauma and ongoing issues on a daily basis. Despite all that, we power through to help other women who live in the same conditions as us.  

Hope has never left us. We have faith in God that this war, this nightmare, will end, for us to rebuild our country all over again.

Shurooq, a 31-year-old displaced mother, who was forced to flee from the north of Gaza at the start of the war and is currently sheltering in a school with her family

We stayed at home, until 12 October 2023. The situation was tragic and the bombing was from all directions. We felt terribly afraid, but we stayed at home and thought that the war would not last long. We thought it would end quickly like other wars, or that it was possible we would not be displaced.  

But on 12 October, the sky became filled with leaflets. Immediately we prepared our things, clothes, and everything. It was terrifying. We didn’t have any means of transportation because at that time. You couldn’t find anyone to take you. My son was very afraid. 

When we entered the school, I was in a state of shock and my children were also in a state of shock. We did not know where to go. I don’t remember now how I slept or where I slept. Was I awake, or asleep, or crying? My psychological state was very difficult. I could not bear a word from anyone. If anyone said something to me, I would scream.  

The bathrooms were horrible, there was no privacy for women in the place. In the first few days of being here, we did not eat anything because we did not want to go to the bathroom.  All the children got gastroenteritis and the adults too.

Water was not available. We did not know how to wash the clothes or the bed covers that the children were vomiting on. Palestinian women are known for being patient and strong and facing all these difficulties. Women supported each other.  

For example, I did not know how to knead or bake. There was an aunt who would come and teach me: put the yeast like this, put the dough here, do this. 

There was a very harsh experience that happened to me. We had prepared tea in the kettle and all the tea spilled on my foot. In this situation, the women helped me as I could not do all the work like washing and cooking. I am very hopeful that the war will end. Of course we will rebuild and Gaza will return to how it was and better.

Raja, a displaced grandmother and primary school teacher

At the beginning of the war, the situation was very tense. The bombing was very violent. There was often bombing that targeted several places in a row, and the Israeli forces threw leaflets telling us to evacuate to the southern areas. Some members of my family were killed: my sister and her children and my son-in-law. 

Before the war, I worked at an elementary school in the south of Gaza city. My colleagues were very friendly. And I loved my students very much and enjoyed being with them. 

Since then, my life has changed a lot. We would not sleep at night because of the intensity of the bombing. Me, my sons and daughters, and my grandchildren. We would never rest. 

The impact of no education on children is very tragic. Children have forgotten so much. They do not know anything about letters or words. The simplest thing… they don’t know the alphabet! 

There is a lot of damage; now all schools are being used as shelters for the displaced. We hope to God that this war will end and that education will continue. 

God willing, the war will end and we will return to our homes and live in them. Even if they were destroyed. I will set up a tent on the grounds of my home and return to my school.

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