GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Every day, Mohammed Maqadima, 14, must carry water in gallon bottles from a water tank 500 meters (546 yards) from his home in the Sha'af neighborhood east of Gaza City. This is so his mother can do the housework. He also spends hours collecting firewood for heating, with the weather getting colder as winter approaches.
Mohammed told Al-Monitor, “I must cross this distance three times a day to carry water to the house. Since the water well in the area was destroyed, we do not receive water service at all.” He said once the tank is empty, residents have to wait for the arrival of water trucks to fill it again.