GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Gaza resident Zahra al-Arif, 32, is forced to go from one organization to another trying to register for relief aid. Arif is pregnant and has children; the heat is intense, making the mere act of leaving the house difficult. She lost her husband and father in Israeli shelling on July 12, and her home in the Shajaiya neighborhood was destroyed during the Israeli army's ground operation.

"My husband worked with the Palestinian Authority (PA) police and brought home all household necessities. Now I must do everything. I find myself facing life alone, and I'm eight months pregnant," she told Al-Monitor.

Arif has received nothing from the official agencies aside from food baskets, and she currently lives with her widowed mother in the Shaaf neighborhood. In their destitute home, her children show a sadness that go well beyond their years.

Arif's feelings of loneliness, after what she suffered during Operation Protective Edge, are shared by a large number of Palestinians. Many complained to Al-Monitor that they have not received any aid aside from food baskets since they lost their homes, amid what they described as a "chaotic aid distribution."