Thanks to generous donations from supporters raised via the Irish Emergency Alliance, Christian Aid’s local partner provided vital shelter to families forced from their homes in Gaza.
Before the war in Gaza, 27-year-old Maysoon used to live in a large apartment in Gaza city with her 66-year-old mum and four older brothers. However, along with thousands of others, she was forced to abandon her home following an evacuation order by the Israeli army and heavy attacks in the area.
Maysoon recalled the terrifying journey her family took to make it to Rafah in southern Gaza.
We fled under heavy bombing. The journey was terrifying. I was extremely scared and anxious. I was especially worried for my elderly mother, as she is frail and unwell. We left with only a few clothes, each of us carrying one or two outfits and our important documents.
But the family’s hardship didn’t end in Rafah. The scramble to seek shelter meant Maysoon’s relative’s home in Gaza was severely overcrowded.
“We lived with about 100 people, dividing the space between men and women. It was extremely difficult. No privacy, limited water, and we had to take turns using the bathroom,” Maysoon said.
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Maysoon and her family stayed in Rafah until April 2024 when they were forced to flee again following another evacuation order.
Thankfully, they were able to find space in a tented camp in the Al-Mawasi area along the seafront, which became the epicentre of the displacement crisis in Gaza, hosting around 400,000 people. The camp is run by Christian Aid’s local partner Culture & Free Thought Association (CFTA), and is part funded by money raised from the Irish public through the Irish Emergency Alliance’s Gaza and Lebanon appeal, as well as Christian Aid’s Middle East Humanitarian Appeal.
At CFTA’s camp, Maysoon and her family were given their own space to sleep as well as the opportunity to access a range of basic and essential services, including drinking water, clean bathrooms, medical care and the use of solar power to charge phones and lights. The camp also includes a community kitchen which provided families a hot meal every day.
At its peak around 1,150 people (230 families) lived in the CFTA run camp in al-Mawasi. While many left the camp after the ceasefire at the end of January, around 25 families mostly from Rafah or northern Gaza remained because their homes have been destroyed.
“Our apartment was completely destroyed by bombing. It’s uninhabitable. The destruction in our neighbourhood is massive and the rubble makes the area unsafe,” Maysoon said.
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Another of those unable to leave the camp to return home is 64-year-old Naima who lives with her 74-year-old husband, Omar. “I will not return anytime soon because my home was completely destroyed in the bombings. It has turned into rubble,” Naima said.
Before moving to the CFTA camp, Naima and her family had no choice but to live in a tent on the street in Rafah. “Safety was a major concern and the presence of stray dogs in the street added to our fears,” Naima said.
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Naima’s grandchildren also live in a tent in the CFTA camp with their parents and said it is a far cry from the happy lives they once all lived.
“My life used to be stable and secure. My children were employed, and we enjoyed spending holidays together—whether at the beach or on road trips. I shared joyful times with my husband, playing with our grandchildren and filling our home with laughter and happiness. Today, our lives have been turned upside down,” Naima said.
We live in constant fear and anxiety for the safety of our children and grandchildren. I have to take our grandchildren with me every time I go out—whether to charge batteries for lighting, to collect food or to fetch clean water. They have become inseparable from me and their grandfather as they feel safer when they are close to us.
The war has taken a significant toll on Naima's granddaughters but since arriving to the CFTA camp, by playing with the other children and joining the classes on offer, as well as taking advantage of psychological support, they have been making progress day by day, step by step. “They’ve started to engage with other children and smile again,” she said.
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With the ceasefire in tatters, some families who had left the in January have now been forced to returned to the shelter. In the middle of April, the UN said that Gaza was now likely facing the worst humanitarian crisis in the last 18 months. For two months, Israel had denied entry of all humanitarian aid and commercial supplies into Gaza. During this time CFTA has been able to continue to provide one hot meal a day to the families staying there.
Despite the challenges she has faced, Naima is clear what she wants for the future. “I hope the international community will stand by us, ensure a permanent end to the war, accelerate the reconstruction of Gaza, and provide urgent humanitarian aid,” she said.
Maysoon added: “The international community must pressure Israel to end the war permanently, accelerate reconstruction efforts, provide aid and prevent our forced displacement.”