Where Should We Go? That’s the Next Question. (Rafah / May 2024)

 

Amal, 31 years old from Gaza and displaced in Rafah, posted on her Facebook page:

“The harder thing than dismantling the tents is the way people look at each other. Some are taking down their tents, while others watch them. It's difficult to describe or even classify those looks—misery, confusion, wandering, anxiety, fear, normalcy, and apathy.

I also share the same looks and count the displaced people as they exit through the gates of the streets and displacement camps.”

She Added:

“I have the same looks, I think. I see them in the eyes of a woman gathering her tent and gazing up at the sky, pleading:

"You are kinder to us than the whole world."

And a lady carrying bread on her head says:

"So where are we supposed to go?"

(Khan Yunis/ July 2024): 

This photo captures an elderly man from Khan Yunis, struggling under the weight of his belongings in the hot, humid weather as he faces displacement yet again.

The reporter approached him and asked, "What would you like to tell the world?"

The old man replied, "Take a good look at us as we are displaced, moving back and forth all year long. One time to Rafah, another time to Khan Yunis, then somewhere else—I don't even know where anymore! This is too much. I'm about to collapse while walking."

The weight of his belongings mirrors the weight of his experiences—burdens that can only be truly understood by those who endure them. While the world may catch glimpses of such images, the true depth of this man's plight, and the silent struggles of many like him, remain largely invisible. Only those who walk in his shoes can fully grasp the overwhelming fatigue, the uncertainty, and the heart-wrenching resilience required to carry on.