Maghazi, Gaza Strip – In a displacement camp in central Gaza’s Maghazi refugee camp, 10-year-old Maysara Zaqout woke up at sunrise, as she does every day. She prepared the water containers and waited with her brother, five-year-old Jawad, by the entrance of their tent. They both looked at the surrounding streets and camps, hoping that a water truck would pass by their camp.
Hours passed, and there was no sign of a water truck. So Maysara headed for her English class at the camp’s educational tent. And then, she heard shouting.
The water truck had arrived. The English class was quickly abandoned, and Maysara and the other children went to grab their water containers. This has been her routine for more than two years, along with thousands of children in Gaza navigating life during Israel’s genocidal war.
With a smile mixed with pain and exhaustion, Maysara finally arrived at her family’s tent with about 20 litres (five gallons) of water for her family of six. The daily struggle to secure water and food doesn’t end when children in Gaza return to their tents. Yamen Saleh, 12, and his brother Aman, six, spend most of their day searching and waiting for water trucks and community kitchens.
This routine has taken a significant physical toll on them. Sometimes I trip and fall because the water containers are so heavy. It’s really painful and embarrassing,” Yamen said.
Yamen and Aman’s mother, Fidaa Saleh, feels devastated. It also affects their appetite and the quality of their sleep.” The physical effects of the children’s daily suffering extend far beyond localised pain. According to Dr Sumaya Salah, who works at medical clinics in central Gaza, the exhausting daily tasks children perform in Gaza cause muscle problems from strain and spasms, as well as serious illnesses such as hernias and scoliosis.
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