සොහොන් කොත් අතරත් කඳවුරු බඳින ගාසා වැසියන්
Gazans take shelter in cemeteries, deserted prisons amid conflict
The desperation of families looking to shelter from harm in the war-torn Gaza Strip has prompted them to look for relative safety inside unconventional settings like cemeteries and deserted prisons, as the conflict rages in the enclave.
The UN estimates some 90 percent of Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced since the Israel-Hamas conflict began last October and many of them multiple times.
As the war in the Gaza Strip nears the ten-month mark, the crisis of displaced Palestinians continues to worsen, and their numbers increase by the day.
Shaher Abu Al-Eish was forced to move with his wife and four children from the north of the Gaza Strip towards the south, repeatedly moving from one place to another in search of safety.
Eventually, he resorted to taking refuge in the cells of a former prison in the city of Khan Younis.
"Our first displacement began from Jabalia camp to the city of Rafah. Then we moved to the central area. After that I found no place other than to live in Asdaa prison. At least here there is a concrete roof to protect us and a bathroom that we can use. This is better than our life in a tent, despite the harsh conditions here," he said.
Yasmine Al-Fojo, a mother of five, had fled her home in Khan Younis and returned to find it reduced to rubble. She described how she saw living among the dead as her only option.
"We lived in the cemeteries. There is no safety here either for me or my children. Not only us, many of the families who are displaced with us live here inside the cemetery. We and the dead have become the same. My children cannot sleep at night because of fear," she said.
According to the United Nations more than 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced in Gaza since the conflict began last October.
Displaced Palestinians are living in the hardest possible conditions, suffering from fear, hunger, and risk of disease after nine months of war.
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