Caption

Short caption:
Aaliyah* holds her daughter on the remains of a damaged building in Gaza, October 2024. The mother of six built a temporary shelter opposite her demolished house and depends entirely on aid to feed her family. Photo: DEC/Arete/Abdallah Alsayed

Long caption:
Aaliyah* sits on the remains of a damaged building with her daughter in their neighbourhood in southern Gaza, in October 2024. The mother of six built a temporary shelter opposite her house after it was demolished in airstrikes in February 2024. Her daughter insists on staying near the site of their former home and cries if they venture further out. Aaliyah depends entirely on aid to feed her family as she has been unable to earn an income since October 2023. Photo: DEC/Arete/Abdallah Alsayed

*Name changed to protect identity

Quotes from Aaliyah, October 2024:

“My family consists of eight members - me, my husband, five daughters, and a son.

I had a house that was demolished in February.

We live in a tent near the rubble of our home. I always find my daughter sitting by the rubble, crying, and she only calms down when she sits there.

We had shelter and a roof over our heads. Now, we have nothing but a piece of fabric that doesn't even protect us from the rain.

My daughter is the main reason we live near the rubble of our house. She only stops crying and calms down when she sits there.

We are suffering a lot, especially in winter. We have nothing to protect us from the rain or a shelter like other people, and my little daughter freezes from the cold.”