Ghadir Al-Wadiya: 8 Children with no source of breadwinning

Ghadir Al-Wadiya has been displaced to Deir Al-Balah for about three months,  starting a new chapter of forcible displacements under evacuation orders, following the Israeli Occupational Forces (IOF) threats to invade Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where she had taken shelter with her family due to the ongoing genocidal war. 

Ghadir is a 35-year-old displaced woman. She fled with her 38-year-old husband Saher, and their 8 children from their home in “Al-Shuja’iya” neighborhood, east of Gaza City. Initially, they moved to “Thalathini” area, then to “Al-Sabra” in the southern part of the city. However, they were forced to flee repeatedly, escaping continuous bombing in these areas. This wasn’t the end of their displacement journey; they were compelled to escape to Deir Al-Balah after ten days of relocating to Al-Sabra.

In Deir Al-Balah, the so-called “safe zone” in the southern part of Gaza valley by IOF offered no security. The heavy bombardment targeted the home of Ghadir’s sister-in-law, forcing her to flee to Khan Younis, where she sheltered for a month and a half before being displaced once more to southern Rafah.

Ghadir, Saher, and their children fled to Rafah at 04:00 AM, crossing destroyed streets and demolished infrastructure. At the same time, IOF threatened to invade Rafah. Gradually, the occupational forces occupied Rafah in mid-May 2024; marking a new painful chapter of the the family’s displacement ordeal.

Ghadir’s family is currently hosted by Saher’s friend, who lives in Deir Al-Balah. This new shelter poses a great community burden on them and on their host as well, as people’s social and mental battery has been drained, due to the ongoing siege and harsh conditions.

Saher used to work as a mechanic, which is a job that has vanished, shattering the family’s capacity for self-sufficiency. They have had no source of breadwinning to meet their needs amidst skyrocketing prices and escalated living challenges.

Ghadir received a vegetable parcel and a food basket from the Social Developmental Forum (SDF), having been enrolled in the SDF’s beneficiaries system which aims to ensure fair access to those in need and to respond to the numerous appeals submitted to the organization.

SDF distributed those parcels in partnership with the Campaign for the Children of Palestine (CCP), along with SDF’s youth network of volunteers who provided prompt assistance to facilitate the distribution process and ensure a well-organized mechanism that respects the beneficiaries’ dignity.

Ghadir noted that the distribution process went smoothly and professionally. “The young volunteers are respectful and they have a swift mechanism of distribution”. She expressed that these parcels help displaced families cope with the current situation, as the prices of vegetables and food items have skyrocketed compared to before the war.