Long lineups and ‘abnormal exhaustion’: Daily life for displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis camp

With talks underway to extend the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas, Palestinians displaced by the war say they’re suffering from exhaustion, a continuing lack of basic necessities and fear that fighting could resume at any time.

In a UN-run displacement camp in Khan Younis, in the south of the Gaza Strip, getting access to things most people take for granted is a daily challenge, said Ismail Al-Ustad. He and his wife, Asmaa, along with their three children, travelled 25 kilometres to the camp from Gaza City and have been living there for the past 35 days.

“We suffer for everything,” Al-Ustad, 35, told CBC News in an interview. “You saw how it was for me to get water; it took 20 minutes standing in line.”

Al-Ustad said people in the camp are suffering “from abnormal exhaustion,” and he’s praying that everyone will soon go back to their former lives “to see to their affairs.”

His wife, 30-year-old Asmaa Al-Ustad, said she’s especially worried about the truce ending, and that “destruction will return, fear will return to the kids.”

‘Abnormal suffering’

“We suffer an abnormal suffering. Words cannot describe it,” she said.

“It’s as if our life is a nightmare. We’re in a nakba … or a disaster … all day we work just to cook a little or to find food.”

Hossam Zwaida from Gaza City said the camp is overcrowded and its inhabitants are living under difficult conditions. He spoke of the political uncertainty for people “who have nothing right now in the Gaza Strip.”

“Everything is ambiguous right now … so we are completely confused about our future, our children, about our people,” he said.

“We are suffering daily, every moment. We don’t have enough fresh water for drinking. We have to move long distances to get everything. Everything is very high in price.”

There’s also not enough medical care for children…