When the tent becomes a cold grave

Elderly people in the Gaza Strip are living a harsh reality in the displacement camps, especially in light of the recent weather depression that hit the area, causing thousands of tents to flood as they couldn’t withstand the heavy rain.

Among them is Umm Fakhri Farajallah, displaced from the northern areas of the central governorate in the Gaza Strip, living in a tent lacking even the most basic necessities.

Umm Fakhri (65 years old) told Al Jazeera Mubasher, “We were hit by the storm and we can’t do anything after the mattresses and food were flooded,” adding that five members of her family live in this small tent, and her son comes with his children to stay with her.

Umm Fakhri explained that she needs medication because she suffers from high blood pressure and diabetes, which is not always available. Crying, she said, “Life for us has gone below zero and no one cares about us, life is hard… but help comes from God.”