Finding Hope Amid Devastation: A Gaza Grandmother's Daily Struggle for Survival After Ceasefire

US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect on October 10.

Palestinian Territories:

Hiam Muqdad's grandchildren, with dust-covered bare feet, wander through the devastated remains of their Gaza City neighborhood searching for clean water. The young trio, holding large black buckets while clutching their grandmother's hand, appear oblivious to the war's destruction surrounding them—massive piles of rubble, twisted metal, and collapsed buildings along their path.

Muqdad, 62, explained to AFP that she ventures out every morning with the children seeking water, sometimes finding enough to last several days, sometimes finding none at all.

"Children no longer say 'I want to go to nursery or school' but rather 'I want to go get water or food or a food parcel'," she lamented. "The child's dream is gone."

"In the past, they used to go to the park, but today children play on the rubble."

At a pile of broken breeze blocks, the children, whose parents reside in southern Khan Yunis, diligently gathered materials to make fire—torn cardboard, a discarded milk carton, a plastic bottle, and a few thin twigs.

With fuel collected, the group began their journey back through the hazy devastation to their makeshift shelter.

'Tear Of Joy, Tear Of Sadness'

Muqdad has lost both her home and family members during the devastating conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has leveled vast areas of the Palestinian territory and displaced most residents at least once.

When the US-brokered ceasefire took effect on October 10, the family returned from southern Gaza to the Al Nasr neighborhood of Gaza City, where they erected a tent amid the ruins of their destroyed home.

"When they said there was a truce, oh my God, a tear of joy and a tear of sadness fell from my eye," Muqdad recalled, remembering those she had lost.

The war, triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, has killed at least 68,519 people in Gaza, according to figures from the Hamas-run government's health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.

Muqdad's house was demolished by a bulldozer, she said, adding that afterward she "couldn't even find a mattress in it."

Sheets of damaged corrugated metal now define the small patch of sand the family calls home, forming a small island of life amid widespread destruction.

Outside, the street lies flattened, with only skeletal remains of collapsed buildings still standing.

Each early morning, as the sun rises, Muqdad emerges from their igloo-shaped tent determined to create order amid the chaos of displacement.

Sitting before a large Palestinian flag, she takes joy in showing her grandchildren the pasta they will cook over an open fire.

While she says it satisfies their hunger, Muqdad regrets that she "cannot buy vegetables or anything because we do not have cash and no income."

Israel repeatedly restricted supplies to Gaza during the war, worsening the already dire humanitarian situation.

The World Health Organisation reported on Thursday that little improvement in aid delivery to Gaza has occurred since the ceasefire, with no observable reduction in hunger.

'Bring Life Back'

After two years of conflict, Gaza's public services are crippled, and the territory lies buried under more than 61 million tonnes of debris, according to UN data analyzed by AFP. Three-quarters of all buildings have been destroyed.

"We want to remove all the rubble," Muqdad said, noting that the destruction particularly affects the children's mental health.

In the filtered sunlight, the young children move about on large mats spread over the sand, sometimes passing time sitting on upturned buckets.

After returning from collecting fire materials and water, Muqdad sits on the ground to hand-wash the family's clothes in a large metal container.

As evening approaches, their thin foam mattresses are brought back inside the tent, and daily activities cease as darkness falls.

"I light a candle because I don't have electricity or a battery or anything," Muqdad explained.

Despite the suffering and severe shortage of basic necessities, Muqdad maintains hope that conditions will improve.

"We want to bring life back even a little, and feel that there is hope."