Hana's Story: A Mother's Fight for Dignity on Gaza's Beach

My name is Hana. I am a mother of nine children, and for months now, our home has been a thin tent pitched on the sand of Khan Younis beach — because there is nowhere else for us to go. Our tent cannot stand up to the sea. When the winter storms come, the wind tears at the walls and the waves push the water in, flooding the little space we have left. We have lost our blankets and mattresses to the flooding more than once — the only ones we own. What we use as a bathroom is not fit for anyone to use, let alone my children as seen below.

We have no income at all. Some weeks, food assistance reaches us; most of the time, it doesn't. When it does come, it's rice, or a simple soup — nothing more. And when the sun goes down, we are left in complete darkness. There is no electricity, no safe light, nothing to hold back the night. Two of my children live with disabilities and suffer from convulsions. They need diapers and medication every single day, and I cannot always get them. I watch them suffer and I have no way to help. None of us sleep well anymore.

The wind howls against the tent walls at night and my children wake up frightened, over and over. We live in a constant state of fear, stripped of the safety and the home we once knew. This is not just my story. Thousands of families along this beach are living exactly like this, right now. If you can, please help us and donate to Langtaa Songtaa for Relief. Every donation — no matter how small — can mean a stronger shelter, a proper bathroom, food for a week, or medication for a child who needs it. Please consider giving, and please share Hana's story so more people know what is happening on this beach.

Emergency Humanitarian Support for Palestine