NAGHAM KARAJEH

Gaza- The humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip has been deepening since Israel launched military operations on October 7, 2023. Nearly 85 percent of the total population of Gaza have been forcibly displaced amid Israel’s military operations, destroying critical infrastructure in Gaza. Due to attacks targeting health centers, thousands of patients and injured people cannot access healthcare services.

‘I lost almost half of my family members’

Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip have killed at least 14,944 children and 9,849 women. Women and children struggling to survive face difficult living conditions. Struggling with difficult living conditions in shelters, displaced women mourn the death of their loved ones. Safa Tafesh, 60, is only one of the Palestinian women, who were displaced after their houses were targeted by Israeli airstrikes. She lives in one of the shelters with her grandchildren. She worked as a midwife at the hospital for 37 years.

“I lost almost half of my family members in the Gaza Strip, the other half was displaced and now they stay in shelter centers without humanitarian aid,” she told us.

‘I insisted on staying at home with my family’

Although Israeli forces often called on Palestinians to evacuate the northern regions to the south, Safa Tafesh insisted on staying at her home with her family, “Because I thought that the war could end at any moment. However, it did not end and I witnessed the worst.”

Her home targeted by Israeli airstrike

Safa Tafesh told NuJINHA how her home was targeted by an Israeli airstrike. “Even though my house was small, I hosted about 50 displaced people. We thought the house was safe and could not be targeted from the street. However, we were wrong. On November 16, I told my youngest grandson to turn off the lights and go to sleep. At that time, my home was hit by an Israeli airstrike. My grandson was in blood and many people were injured. I did my best to treat them. My daughter was killed in that attack. She left her three children behind. Whenever I see her children, I cannot breathe.”

‘I did realize that I was also injured’

Safa Tafesh was also injured in the Israeli airstrike. “I did not feel well and barely walked. Then, I lost my consciousness. My middle daughter realized that I was injured.” Although the health of Safa Tafesh was deteriorating, she could not go to the hospital due to the ongoing Israeli bombardment. “We had to stay at a neighbor's house with other displaced family members until the morning. We used cotton swabs to stop bleeding until morning. In the morning, a doctor came and bandaged our wounds.”

‘Every day I think how this nightmare will end’

Then, Safa Tafesh and her family members decided to go to a shelter center near their destroyed house. “We stayed at a school for more than five months. Every day I think about how this nightmare will end. Before I had a good financial situation but now I have to wait in line for a piece of bread, looking for a source of income to take care of my grandchildren.”

Safa Tafesh receives psychological support at the shelter center. “Palestinian women pay the highest price in this war although they are strong and make great sacrifices. I call on the international community to end this war and restore peace in the region.”