Facing water shortages, displaced Gazans resort to the sea Reuters

Like many other displaced Gazans, the al-Hawajiri family has restored to using sea water to bathe and wash their clothes due to lack of clean water across the enclave, the family said. The family, which has found shelter by the seaside in Rafah following their displacement, add that they are also struggling to find food and warmth. “We have to look for water. We collect salty water from the sea so we can wash our clothes and things. I am a small child and I cannot carry the bucket by myself," said the young Yasmeen al-Hawajiri, who spends her mornings filling buckets of water from the sea to bring to her mother. As the war in Gaza crosses the 100-day mark, Khitam al-Hawajiri, Yasmeen’s mother, says the lack of clean water has left the family struggling. “There is no cleanliness in our life here at all. Since the (start of the) war, we have been struggling due to the (lack of) water, food, drinking, everything. When one (child) recovers, another falls ill.” The Israeli offensive launched in the wake of a deadly rampage by Hamas militants in southern Israel on Oct. 7 has displaced most of Gaza's 2.3 million population, destroyed civilian infrastructure, and caused acute shortages of food, water and medicine.

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