EN
ID
ACTNews, DEIR AL BALAH - Mervat Alhawy locked the door to the only room in
her house. She and her children then covered the gaping windows with a nylon sheet.
This is the only thing Mervat and her family do to protect them from the chilly
winter wind. Mervat and her children had only two blankets to warm them during
the freezing days.
Mervat Alhawy is
one of the underprivileged families in Gaza. Poverty has made her unable to pay
for adequate housing. Even for her daily meals, she relies on the help that is
often provided by those who are better off. In her kitchen, only one stove was
burning. There was only one plate and four spoons, and the only pot she used
for cooking.
“By Allah, I am
ashamed to ask for help, but I want to make changes for my family. We hope that
there are good people who can help rebuild our house,” said Mervat when the
Aksi Cepat Tanggap partners visited her in late October 2020. She hoped for a
house renovation of the house where she has lived for 13 years.
Based on UNDP’s
report, at least 28,366 houses were damaged in five governorates in Gaza in the
2014 Israeli attack.
In July 2014,
the Israeli military bombarded Gaza's land, sea and air. Many losses were
incurred. An estimated 2,100 people died, including 5,821 children; One in four
Gazans had to evacuate; More than 60,000 residences in Gaza were partially
damaged; public facilities in Gaza were not functioning, leading to a water,
food, and even energy crisis. Agriculture, industry, and sales plummeted. []
