A Daily Struggle for Survival

Ashqar Family's Diary in Gaza: A Struggle for Survival

The story of the Ashqar family in Gaza and their daily struggle with lack of drinking water, electricity outages, rising living costs, repeated displacement, and life in a fragile tent. This article highlights the daily challenges the family faces while trying to survive under extremely difficult conditions.

Ashqar family in the Gaza Strip lives in dire humanitarian conditions that make even the simplest aspects of daily life a real challenge. Between limited resources, high living costs, and a lack of basic services, the family tries to persevere and endure despite all the hardships. This article highlights the most prominent challenges the family faces in their daily lives.

The Suffering of Drinking Water Shortages

The Al-Ashqar family faces a real problem in obtaining clean drinking water. Potable water has become both scarce and expensive, often forcing the family to reduce its consumption or buy water at prices far exceeding their limited financial means.

Obtaining water is no longer a simple matter; it has become part of a daily struggle to ensure the children's health.

Read: ASHQAR FAMILY - A Family’s Story of Survival and Hope 

The Suffering of Water Shortages for Daily Use

In addition to drinking water, the family suffers from a severe shortage of water for washing, cleaning, and cooking. The water that does reach them is sometimes scarce or insufficient to meet the family's needs. This shortage makes daily life much more difficult, forcing the family to severely ration water, even for the simplest things like washing clothes or cleaning their living space.

Lack of electricity and the inability to purchase alternative energy sources

Electricity has become one of the most scarce things in the family's life. They live without power 24 hours a day! This affects every aspect of daily life, from storing food in the refrigerator to lighting up at night.

Ashqar family sometimes lives in complete darkness, making it even more difficult for the children to study and making life inside the tent even harsher.

Read please: ASHQAR FAMILY - Help a Gaza Family Get Solar Energy

Lack of healthy food

Access to a balanced and healthy diet has become a real challenge. High prices and low incomes severely limit food choices.

The family is often forced to rely on simple foods that don't provide all the necessary nutrients, which is a cause for concern, especially regarding the children's health and development.

For example, when meat is available, it costs 200% more than in any other country in the world. Even frozen meat is very expensive. A kilogram of frozen chicken costs $15. That means a single chicken costs $30. This makes it extremely difficult for us to afford chicken as a weekly meal for our children.

High cost of living and rampant inflation

Prices are constantly rising, while income is almost nonexistent. This rampant inflation makes purchasing basic necessities extremely difficult.

Even simple items like bread or vegetables have become a financial burden on families, forcing them to reduce quantities or forgo some essential items.

Living in a tent that offers no protection from the summer heat or winter cold

The Ashqar family lives in a simple tent that lacks even the most basic comforts. In the summer, the tent becomes unbearably hot, while in the winter it is exposed to the cold, rain, and wind.

This situation makes sleeping or resting difficult, especially for the children who need a safe and stable environment.

Did you know that the price of a single tent in Gaza ranges from $500 to $1000?

Lack of Building Materials and Raw Materials

Rebuilding our house, repairing any room, or improving our shelter is nearly impossible due to the lack of building materials. For four years, not a single building material has entered Gaza!

Even basic materials like wood or simple boards have become scarce, making any attempt to improve living conditions extremely difficult.

Unemployment and Lack of Job Opportunities

The father of the Al-Ashqar family suffers from the pain of unemployment, as there are no real job opportunities that would allow him to support his family.

The scarcity of jobs and the difficult economic conditions make securing a stable income extremely difficult, which increases the pressure on the family to provide for their daily needs.

Fear of Dilapidated Buildings

Damaged and dilapidated buildings are scattered throughout the areas near where the family lives.

This situation creates constant fear, especially for the children who play around these buildings, as the collapse of any part of them could pose a real danger to their lives.

As I mentioned before, there are no children's toys in all of Gaza City. You might find some, but they are very expensive! This makes the situation even more dangerous for children playing around these ubiquitous and unavoidable buildings.

Lack of Aid and Financial Assistance

Despite their dire need for support, the aid reaching the Al-Ashqar family is meager and irregular.

This lack of support forces the family to rely primarily on patience and adapting to the difficult circumstances, trying to get through each day with the limited resources available.

Repeated Displacement and its High Costs

Ashqar family has been displaced multiple times, forced to leave their homes in search of a safer place.

Each displacement means new costs, such as moving their belongings and purchasing new basic necessities, which places a significant financial burden on the family given their difficult circumstances.

Did you know that our last displacement cost us $2,000 to escape death?!

The Constant Search for a New Shelter

With each displacement, a new journey begins in the search for a place to shelter the family.

This search is not easy; available spaces are scarce, and often ill-equipped or overcrowded. Frequently, the family is forced to buy a tent and set it up in the street, even though it offers no basic comfort or safety.

Conclusion

The story of the Al-Ashqar family in Gaza is not just a tale of daily struggles; it is a human reality that the family members experience every day. Despite all the challenges, the family continues to cling to hope and strive to provide a better life for their children, even under the most difficult circumstances. Try to support them!