From Homes to Tombs: Gaza’s Struggle

By Staff

Cemeteries in Gaza are no longer reserved for burying the dead; they have become homes for thousands of displaced people after shelters became overcrowded and all safe housing alternatives disappeared.

Displaced woman Doaa Tabash, from the town of Abasan al-Kabira, told Al-Ahed News website that her husband was forced to set up a tent inside a cemetery due to the continued “Israeli” aggression and because their home lies within the “yellow zones” controlled by the “Israeli” occupation forces [IOF]. “Living in cemeteries is extremely difficult, and we have children who are afraid of cemeteries and the dead,” she grieved.

Children are the group most affected by this harsh reality. In addition to losing their homes and schools, they endure daily psychological trauma in an inhumane environment lacking privacy and safety, amid growing fears of disease and the spread of epidemics.

Doaa continued, saying that her children are completely unable to accept life in the cemetery, constantly wondering, “When will we go back, Mom? We’re tired. We want our life back in Abasan.” She expressed her fear, saying she worries that she may have lived in a cemetery and will die in one, and that her children may live and die there with her.

She went on to say that her children have the right to play and to have a safe and suitable space, “My children need an appropriate place and a dignified tent, not this one. Water leaks inside it, and I don’t have a proper bathroom. We are living inside cemeteries, and it’s impossible to build sanitary facilities here.”

Doaa demanded the provision of suitable shelter for her and her family, stressing her need for a tent that meets the minimum standards of humane living and includes basic necessities and adequate protection, explaining, “I am asking for a dignified tent, a proper bathroom, and means to protect us from harsh conditions, just like other people live.”

She added that families are demanding safety, security, and a dignified life, pointing out that their homes have been destroyed, they have no source of income, and they possess nothing that enables them to meet basic life requirements.

Women, in particular, suffer from compounded burdens, as they find themselves responsible for managing an almost impossible life; securing meager food supplies, maintaining children’s hygiene, and trying to create a temporary sense of stability in places that lack even the most basic elements of life.

Severe Psychological Trauma

For his part, Jamal Tabash, also from Abasan al-Kabira, said he was unable to reach his home because it lies within an area classified as a yellow zone.

He told Al-Ahed News: “We are no longer able to do anything. We left our homes empty-handed, with nothing, and were forced to take refuge in cemeteries.”

He added that his children are suffering from severe psychological trauma and are no longer able to sleep at night due to the scenes they witness of the bodies of martyrs and the dead, calling for a dignified life and a safe place far from bombardment.

Bodies Emerging Above the Ground

The situation of Mohammad al-Jabour was no better. He was forced to flee from the Jorat al-Lout area south of Khan Younis to a cemetery due to ongoing Israeli shelling and the absence of safe places.

Al-Jabour wen on saying, “I found no place to shelter myself, my family, and my young children except these cemeteries that held the dead, so we live as dead above the ground and dead beneath it.”

He also noted that the Al-Namsawi Cemetery was destroyed by the IOF, explaining that upon arriving in the area, residents were forced to bury many bodies that were exposed, while others could not be reached and were instead covered with sand. With the storm and heavy rains, many bodies have resurfaced on the ground.

Al-Jabour explained that they are enduring severe suffering as a result of staying in cemeteries, stressing the absence of psychological support and institutions concerned with rehabilitating children, which has turned cemeteries into a profound psychological trauma and crisis for them.

He finally called on the international community to pressure the “Israeli” occupation to allow them to return to their homes and residences.