As world leaders gathered in Davos, Switzerland to inaugurate US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” overseeing Gaza, a stark contrast emerged on the ground in the beleaguered Palestinian enclave. While Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner touted the territory’s “development potential,” the reality for many Gazans is far more bleak.
Desperate Palestinians in the Muwasi area of Khan Younis city are digging through garbage with their bare hands, searching for plastic items to burn in order to keep warm during the cold, damp winter. This is a far cry from the “record levels” of humanitarian aid that Trump claimed have entered Gaza since a US-brokered ceasefire deal in October.
Months into the truce, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians still languish in displacement camps, sheltering in tents and war-ravaged buildings that offer little protection from temperatures that can dip below 10 degrees Celsius at night. Despite the ceasefire, deadly strikes continue, with Israeli tank shelling on Thursday killing four Palestinians east of Gaza City.
Residents say fuel and firewood are in short supply, with prices exorbitant. Two 13-year-old boys were shot and killed by Israeli forces on Wednesday as they tried to collect firewood. At the Naser hospital in southern Gaza, mourners gathered to bid farewell to three Palestinian journalists, including a frequent Agence France-Presse contributor, killed the previous day when an Israeli strike hit their vehicle.
For families like that of Sanaa Salah, starting a fire is a critical daily chore just to cook and keep warm. With no income and unable to afford firewood or gas, they have no choice but to burn plastic and paper, despite being aware of the dangers. “Life is very hard,” Salah said. “We cannot even have a cup of tea.”
This bleak reality stands in stark contrast to the vision projected by world leaders in Davos. While aid has increased since the ceasefire, the suffering of Gazans like Aziz Akel and his family, who have lost their home and seen their children wounded, remains unabated. As one mourner said, “This is our life. We do not sleep at night from the cold.”
