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Winter in Gaza: our season of survival and loss
From the besieged ruins of Gaza, ASEM JERJAWI documents how displaced Palestinians struggle to survive cold and rain in threadbare tents — all while still facing the relentless onslaught of Israeli attacks
FORCED OUT: A camp for those displaced from their houses on the beach front in Deir al-Balah

WINTER should bring comfort — a time for families to gather, share stories, and enjoy life’s small joys as rain taps gently on the windows. In Gaza, it was once a cherished season, a pause from the sweltering heat of summer, a time for soup bubbling on stoves and children laughing under thick blankets.

But Gaza’s winters are no longer seasons of comfort. They are seasons of survival.

When we were first displaced, the thought of winter seemed distant. We left our homes believing we’d return in days, packing little more than the clothes on our backs. Now, winter has arrived, and with it, a sharp realisation: there is no returning home.

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