Rafah's Residents and IDPs Throw Their Grief Into the Sea As Invasion Looms
(AWP) - The locals and internally displaced people (IDPs) of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, have no other option but the sea for their personal hygiene, bathing and recreation needs in the mist of the Israeli war on the enclave, which started in October, 2023.
The lives of Palestinians in Rafah have worsened after the Israeli army’s incursion into the city, where camps have been without water for several days.
Mohamed Abdullah Abu Ableh, a Palestinian IDP from Gaza City, said he swims to escape his depression.
“If I stayed inside the tent, I would be tired because of the heat—I cannot stand high temperatures. The flies are annoying. I take all my troubles into the sea. The water supply is disrupted, and we can’t bathe. There is no other choice but to bathe in the sea,” he concluded.
Another displaced Palestinian, Mohamed Abu Arqoub, said that he had decided to take the children from the camps with him, to wash away their daily fears and sadness, and let them have fun.
“We thought the sea would be the best place,” he added.
A displaced Palestinian woman from Gaza City, Farah Muharram, said that the sea was the only option available for them to have fun in the smoldering hot weather.
“The heat is worse inside the tents, where we have no water. The water supply has been disrupted for quite a long time. We haven’t had a drop of water for four days. At least we can come here to have a good time and bathe in this heat,”she said.
International organizations said that the majority of the locals in the Gaza Strip, estimated at 2.3 million Palestinians, have been forced to live as displaced people in harsh conditions since the outbreak of the Israeli war on the enclave, now in its eighth month.