Abed Odeh, a 65-year-old resident of Beit Lahia in the north of Gaza, once led a peaceful life surrounded by his large family of 25. A father of eight, Abed saw all his children graduate from university with high honors. “Education has always been important to our family,” he says with pride.

Like everyone else in Gaza, however, Abed’s life turned upside down after October 7. “We first sheltered at a school in the north,” Abed explains. “We moved to another school shelter, but have had no choice but to flee again and again.”

Currently, Abed and his family are staying at a shelter in the north. After being evacuated eight times, he knows resilience is the key to survival. “It is too much. You want to just give up and surrender to your fate. But, I keep telling myself and my children that we must keep going!”

The conflict has also taken a severe toll on Abed’s finances and health. Without any source of income, it is impossible to buy basic necessities for the family. “I haven’t been able to buy any necessities. We can’t even afford food.” Abed suffers from heart disease and says “Every day, my condition gets worse, because of the stress and the difficulties in finding medicines.”  

Abed’s journey, just like the majority of people in Gaza, has also been marked by unimaginable loss. “I lost three of my amazing grandchildren during these evacuations and the war,” he says, his voice breaking. “I can’t bear another loss. Hopefully, this will end soon and we can begin rebuilding our lives together.”