- Title: PERSONAL: Deaf couple speak of 'suffocating' life in Rafah camp
- Date: 26th December 2023
- Summary: RAFAH, GAZA (DECEMBER 26, 2023) (REUTERS) TENTS IN MAKESHIFT CAMP FOR DISPLACED PEOPLE DISPLACED GAZAN ABIR ABU SAKRAN, WHO IS DEAF, DOING THE LAUNDRY ABIR ABU SAKRAN’S DAUGHTER JANA, WHO HAS AUTISM, ACCORDING TO HER MOTHER, STANDING OUTSIDE TENT ABIR ABU SAKRAN LOOKING IN THE MIRROR INSIDE TENT VARIOUS OF ABIR ABU SAKRAN POURING WATER IN A BUCKET ABIR ABU SAKRAN SWEEPING THE FLOOR INSIDE TENT ABIR ABU SAKRAN PUTTING ITEM AWAY ABIR ABU SAKRAN COOKING OUTSIDE TENT ABIR ABU SAKRAN WALKING AROUND CAMP WITH HER HUSBAND MAHMOUD ABU SAKRAN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ABIR ABU SAKRAN, A DISPLACED WOMAN FROM GAZA CITY, SAYING: (OVERLAID WITH AUDIO OF TRANSLATOR OFFSCREEN): “War is very difficult; I see people upset, and it's hard for them. I struggle a lot in the war. There's hardly any food, and it's challenging to find supplies. I am already suffering from a thyroid condition, and with the smoke, it's difficult for me to breathe.” JANA LOOKING ON JANA SPEAKING TO HER MOTHER (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ABIR ABU SAKRAN, A DISPLACED WOMAN FROM GAZA CITY, SAYING: (OVERLAID WITH AUDIO OF TRANSLATOR OFFSCREEN) “Jana, the girl, screams. Being an autistic patient, things are very challenging for her. At night, she screams, and every now and then, she asks for food. Obtaining food is difficult, and we struggle to provide it for her.” ABIR ABU SAKRAN KISSING JANA, HER OTHER DAUGHTER RAHAF IN THE BACKGROUND (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ABIR ABU SAKRAN, A DISPLACED WOMAN FROM GAZA, SAYING: (OVERLAID WITH AUDIO OF TRANSLATOR OFFSCREEN) “I was in my home, in my building, right across from their building. Suddenly, while I was talking to them on camera to check on them, the call disconnected, and there was a strong tremor. I felt that the tower collapsed on us, and I feared for my children, fearing they might become martyrs. I didn't know what to do; the world seemed to turn black. I hugged my children, then we ran. I took my children, opened the door, and everything was collapsing. People were running, not knowing what to do. We went out, found a fiery belt, and everything was dusty. Then we went to Shuja'iyya.” ABIR ABU SAKRAN SPEAKING TO HER SON, AHMED WITH JANA IN THE BACKGROUND (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ABIR ABU SAKRAN, A DISPLACED WOMAN FROM GAZA CITY, SAYING: (OVERLAID WITH AUDIO OF TRANSLATOR OFFSCREEN) “I wish the war would stop, and I wish the world would intervene to end the war so I can return home. It's been a month or two, and we entered the third month. It's been 80 very long days. The world hasn't helped us; everyone is silent. Why is everyone silent? The children, what is their fault? It's unfair. My children want to go home to Gaza (city); there is no food, no bread, and no bathroom here. We are suffocating, and life is very difficult.” THE DEAF COUPLE WALKING AROUND THE CAMP (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MAHMOUD ABU SAKRAN, A DISPLACED MAN FROM GAZA CITY, SAYING: (OVERLAID WITH AUDIO OF TRANSLATOR OFFSCREEN) “I was going to get bread for my children, and then a strike occurred next to me. I thought I would become a martyr because I didn't hear anything; I saw people running, and then I realized the strike was beside me, and the missile was right next to me. I was still walking, and the missile was still moving, and thankfully, God saved me from death.” MAHMOUD TALKING TO HIS WIFE ABIR HUGGING HER DAUGHTER RAHAF MAHMOUD CUTTING WOODEN LOG MAHMOUD USING HAMMER AHMED WALKING AROUND (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MAHMOUD ABU SAKRAN, A DISPLACED MAN FROM GAZA CITY WHO IS ALSO DEAF, SAYING: (OVERLAID WITH AUDIO OF TRANSLATOR OFFSCREEN) “When I see such a situation, my heart squeezes. When I see my children upset, it hurts me a lot. When I see the world, we don't want help from the world; we want them to stop the war. I wish my children could go back to school and resume their normal lives. My son lost a year of education. Our life is difficult; diseases have spread in the camp, and my wife is unwell, suffering from a thyroid condition. I took her to the hospital, and it was challenging to reach it. Life here is very difficult.” CHILDREN LOOKING ON VARIOUS OF AHMED LOOKING AT THE CAMERA, RAHAF IN THE BACKGROUND CAMP
- Embargoed: 9th January 2024 13:52
- Keywords: Palestinians Rafah Refugees children couple deaf displaced hearing impairment
- Location: RAFAH, GAZA
- City: RAFAH, GAZA
- Country: Palestinian Occupied Territory
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Middle East
- Reuters ID: LVA001826026122023RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Abir and Mahmoud, a deaf couple from Gaza City, say they struggle to live with their three children in a makeshift tent camp in Rafah.
The family lives near the border with Egypt, in an area sheltering displaced Palestinians who fled south to escape Israel's bombardment of the enclave.
Abir says one of her daughters, Jana, has autism and looking after her is hard. “At night, she screams, and every now and then, she asks for food.”
She says food is scarce and the family has no access to clean sanitation in the camp. “It's been 80 very long days. The world hasn't helped us; everyone is silent. Why is everyone silent?” she asks.
Her husband, who used to work as a carpenter in Gaza City before the war, says he wants the war to end so they can go back home and carry on with their lives.
"Our life is difficult; diseases have spread in the camp, and my wife is unwell, suffering from a thyroid condition. I took her to the hospital, and it was challenging to reach it."
The family spoke of their hardship a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to keep fighting in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed, defying global calls for a ceasefire amid concerns the conflict could spread with U.S. and Iran-aligned forces again attacking each other.
Nearly 20,700 Gazans have been killed, including 250 in the last 24 hours, according to authorities in Hamas-ruled Gaza.
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