A young woman living in Gaza has described the chaos of trying to access the food aid dropped by Spain on Friday.
Jenin Alassar, 23, told the Spanish Eye how she and her family have been displaced and live a few kilometres from the drop zone.
Speaking from inside Gaza, she said: ‘We were lucky to get one of the Spanish aid packages as we are displaced a few kilometres away from the drop zone and my brother ran for almost 10 minutes as fast as he could to reach that area.
‘It wasn’t easy, hundreds of people rushed to the area, and it was chaotic and even dangerous. But it was worth it.
‘These packages can be life-saving for some families, but the problem lies in the fact that each packet is only enough for one person and it’s extremely hard to get more than one packet.
‘With almost no food available or affordable in Gaza right now, even a small amount of supplies makes a difference.’
Jenin said that current life in Gaza is ‘exhausting’ and that she and her family are surviving on a day-to-day basis.
The translator, who has been helping tell stories from within Gaza, is also having to try and care for her non-verbal, autistic younger brother.
‘Day-to-day life here is extremely difficult,’ she added.
‘We’re constantly dealing with shortages, not just food and water, but also electricity, internet, and basic medical care.
‘Repeated displacement consumes us physically and emotionally, it’s very exhausting. You live everyday not knowing if you’re going to survive or not.
‘I was born and raised in Gaza (Rafah). I live with my family, including my younger brother who is nonverbal and autistic.
‘Taking care of him while also trying to manage everything else has been especially challenging and nerve-wracking.’
Jenin said she recently graduated college with honours and is now working as a translator when she can.
‘Even war can’t get me to give up on my dreams and ambitions,’ she said.
It comes as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza crossed another chilling threshold this week, with one in three Palestinians now going entire days without food, according to UNICEF.
Aid trucks remain gridlocked at crossings sealed off by Israel, while US-led airdrops delivered less than 90 tonnes over five days – a fraction of the 500 truckloads the UN says are needed daily.
Meanwhile, more than 1,300 Palestinians have reportedly been killed while queuing to get food to eat.
You can help Jenin and her family by donating to an online fundraiser here.
