Abu Yazan Halawa.. distinguished services and better shelter conditions
Abu Yazan Abu Halawa, displaced in the “Together For Palestine 3” camp, sits on a chair in front of his tent in the late afternoon on a scorching hot day. The summer is unbearably hot, especially for the displaced people in Gaza who are living in tents after fleeing their homes due to Israeli bombings.
The tent behind Abu Yazan was established by the Social Development Forum (SDF) in partnership with the Welfare Association as part of the project of establishing the T4P #3 camp, located in the Al-Berka area of Deir al-Balah in Middle Aread of the Gaza Strip.
Abu Yazan used to live in Gaza City but he had to forcibly evacuate at the beginning of the genocide when the Israeli Occupational Forces (IOF) ordered citizens to evacuate to the south. He moved to Rafah, a southern border city with Egypt, and stayed there in a rented house with relatively good conditions compared to other displaced people before he had to flee again due to updated evacuation orders.
As a result, Abu Yazan and his family were left homeless, knowing nowhere to go, with no friends or relatives in the Middle Area, the so-declared humanitarian zone by the Israeli Occupational forces. However, interventions by the Social Developmental Forum (SDF) saved him from this dire situation, as he experienced moments of fear and anxiety about his children and family, who might end up on the streets.
Despite the intense heat and high temperatures, Abu Yazan considers his experience in this camp to be much better than other camps in Deir al-Balah and across the Gaza Strip. He has visited several camps and seen his friends living in tents on the streets and near garbage and broken sewage lines.
I have not seen any displacement center that provides such services. The T4P camp provides security services through two persons who are always stationed at the gate and a designated room for guarding the camp and addressing residents’ needs. Water is available almost daily, sufficient for everyone’s needs.
Abu Yazan says
Furthermore, the SDF has established solar energy cells, enabling residents to charge their phones and batteries, and providing lighting for the entire camp by installing lights at the entrances of tents and the pathways in between, making it safe and convenient at night.
Abu Yazan adds: “Hot meals are distributed from time to time. Children do not need to go out to play in the streets because the SDF provided them a safe area inside the camp, which is sufficient for playing football, running, and doing other activities.”
I left Gaza City without being able to take anything with me. When I arrived in Deir al-Balah, I had no bedding. SDF provided us with a groundsheet for our tent, water containers, bedding for the children, blankets, and other essential living needs.
Abu Yazan says
It is worth noting that the T4P camp provides shelter for 50 displaced families (400 individuals) from various areas across the Gaza Strip. The SDF established this camp in partnership with the Welfare Association to provide shelter to families who had nowhere to go, after the Israeli invasion of Rafah.
