Since the unprecedented escalation began in early October 2023, the people of Gaza have endured days and nights of relentless horror.
As the world watches, and calls for a ceasefire have gone unheard, Israel has continued to bombard and besiege Gaza.
A staggering 41,909 people have been killed, and thousands more remain missing. At least a third of those killed are children. Families have been forced to scatter and separate repeatedly as they flee in search of safety, which cannot be found.
The healthcare sector has all but collapsed. With around 90% of the population displaced and trapped in one of the most densely populated areas on Earth, diseases are spreading fast, people are starving to death, and famine looms.
It has been a year of this unending nightmare for the people of Gaza.
Here, we share the words of some of these people, whose communities and lives have been forever changed.
‘A never-ending eviction’
Majdi and his daughter
An astonishing 1.9 million people – 9 out of 10 people – have been displaced, often multiple times, from their homes or so-called safe zo nes since October 2023.
Among them is Majdi*, who fled his village soon after the escalation began. He had lived there since he was born, but when the bombs started to fall near his family’s home, he knew they had to leave.
“It is a never-ending eviction from one hard place to an even harder one. We’ve never rested in the last 9 months… I don’t think we will find any comfort soon.”
Majdi and his family moved 3 times before settling in Rafah, thinking they had finally found safety. Then in May 2024, more bombs started to fall.
“Everything was burnt, including my car, my savings, my wife’s gold bracelets, and everything we managed to gather during our displacement.”
Majdi’s wife, brother and sister were killed during the airstrike. He and everyone else in the family suffered injuries, with his son left in a critical condition.
*Name changed to protect confidentiality
‘It is becoming very hard to help people…’
Islamic Relief distribute medical supplies in the early days of the crisis
Mohammed used to work at a pharmacy in Gaza City before he and his family were forced to flee. Now, he volunteers at a small healthcare point in a shelter in the Middle Area where Islamic Relief has distributed aid, including hot meals.
“There is almost no medicine in stock, or medical supplies. It is becoming very hard to help people who have chronic diseases or need medication. Most of the injuries are to children. They are now living with their families in poor conditions that are not suitable or safe for them. Most cases are broken limbs, cuts or burns.”
‘The worst thing is fetching water’
Islamic Relief’s staff and partners are facing many of the same challenges as the communities we support.
Almost nothing remains of Gaza’s medical infrastructure, the economy has been left in ruins and clean drinking water is increasingly difficult to find, as one of Islamic Relief’s partners describes:
“The worst thing is fetching water,” says Sara*, who works for one of our partner organisations in Gaza.
“It is only connected once every week and we do not have enough containers to collect all the water we need. We use cooking pots, water bottles, and any other container we can find. We have to walk long distances through destruction to reach the water sources.”
*Name changed to protect confidentiality
‘Our life now is like a nightmare’
Before the war, 8-year-old Yomna lived with her family in a flat in the Gaza Strip. Yomna used to enjoy going to school and basketball training but now she spends her days wondering when the next bomb will hit and where her family will find food to eat.
“Before this war, we lived a very good life where we used to go to school, go out and there was no bombing. Then one day I woke up and heard bombing and rockets coming from everywhere. I did not know what to do – I could not even scream.
“Our life now is like a nightmare. Sometimes when they bomb nearby, I am afraid if someone gets hurt, they will not get help because there are too many people in the hospital. I have changed during these months.” Yomna says, describing things no child should experience.
“I used to think the future would be bright but now I do not think so: our future is very dark.”
‘Every day we wake up hoping someone will put an end to these massacres’
Islamic Relief is supporting orphaned children and their families through our Orphan Sponsorship Programme, which has expanded in Gaza during the crisis.
We are currently sponsoring 16,421 children, including Basma’s daughters, but families continue to struggle in desperate conditions.
“I don’t know what to do. Everything we’re experiencing is written for us but I’m helpless to provide anything for my children,” Basma says.
“The situation is heartbreaking. My children ask for food, and I can only stand helpless in front of them. Every day, we wake up hoping that someone will put an end to these massacres.”
Islamic Relief has supported thousands of people in Gaza with life-saving aid since the start of the crisis. But the needs are great and rapidly increasing as the nightmare in Gaza continues.
Without a permanent ceasefire in the region, and an end to the siege of Gaza, the numbers of dead, injured and traumatised people will only rise.
Please help us to continue our vital work in Gaza. People in Gaza need aid, but they also need political action. Please continue to demand that world leaders act to secure an immediate ceasefire and an end to Israel’s siege.