Amid fear and hardship, the Shaaban family struggles to survive under the ruins of their destroyed home in Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza.

Like thousands of families forcibly displaced from their homes in northern Gaza during the Israeli occupation’s genocidal war on the Strip, Abu Wasim Shaaban’s family returned as soon as the occupation forces withdrew from Jabalia following the ceasefire agreement in January. However, they found nothing but devastation.

Wasim's mother described the heartbreak of their return: “We couldn’t bear the sight. The destruction was overwhelming, and we couldn’t even walk through the rubble. The most basic necessities for life are completely absent.” With no alternative shelter, her husband has been working tirelessly to clear the debris from their severely damaged home.

Living under the wreckage, the family faces constant fear. “We are terrified the ceiling might collapse on us, but we have nowhere else to go. When it rains, life becomes unbearable as water seeps in," she said. "We live in miserable conditions—bitter cold, no essentials, and stray animals and reptiles everywhere." She recalled a stray dog attacking them days ago and how they discovered a snake near their home.

Desperate for relief, she pleaded for humanitarian organisations to provide essentials such as water, blankets, mattresses, and either a caravan, a tent, or building materials to construct a shelter. “My children are young, and I have twin babies born after ten years of waiting. I fear even the slightest breeze might harm them,” she said.

Despite five weeks passing since the ceasefire between the Palestinian resistance and the Israeli occupation, Israel continues to obstruct the entry of mobile homes and heavy equipment into Gaza, violating the humanitarian provisions of the ceasefire agreement.