Amid relentless hardship, Rana Salmi, a displaced woman sheltering in a tent in Gaza, struggles to care for nine family members, including elderly and sick relatives, under desperate conditions.

Rana shared her heartbreak:
 “I’m responsible for my children and my sick in-laws, but every door is closed, no work, no money, no medicine, no food.” Alone and without a breadwinner, she bears the heavy burden of survival.

Her elderly father-in-law, wheelchair-bound and paralysed, suffers from a brain tumour, worsened after a stroke caused by the trauma of the 2021 war that destroyed their home. He now lives with metal plates in his limbs and constant pain. Her mother-in-law, similarly debilitated by stroke and exhaustion, requires constant care but has no access to medication.

Their home was bombed again in 2024, deepening their suffering. While some medicines were previously available, the current blockade and ongoing bombardments have rendered even basic treatments inaccessible. “There’s no work during war,” Rana lamented, desperate to provide for her family by any means.

For years, Gaza has endured a siege, but the situation has spiralled into catastrophe since the latest full-scale war began. The total closure of border crossings has blocked vital humanitarian aid, leaving millions facing extreme hunger and millions more displaced amid widespread destruction.

Families like Rana’s live in a daily struggle for survival. The urgent calls for a ceasefire and opening of humanitarian corridors grow louder, as Gaza remains trapped in an unbearable humanitarian crisis.