Surrounded by a sea of rubble, the Palestinian Al-Balawi family in northern Gaza hang blankets above the ruins of their home to create a makeshift tent that provides shade from the searing summer heat.

The family are struggling to feed themselves in the Jabalia refugee camp after the nearly nine months of bombardment that have followed Hamas’s October 7 attack.

Gazans are suffering from severe shortages of supplies including food and water alongside Israel’s bombardment of the territory, forcing desperate mothers like Umm Siraj al-Balawi to fight for their survival with no end to the conflict in sight.

“There are no vegetables or fruits. No vitamin intake. When you get sick, you stay in bed for two or three weeks to recover,” the 33-year-old told AFP.

“This war must stop, because it is a war of displacement. It is a war of annihilation.”

Jabalia has been hit particularly hard in recent weeks, with Israeli forces carrying out a massive campaign, part of a fierce ground offensive in northern Gaza — an area the military had previously said was out of the control of Hamas militants.

Israeli forces retrieved the bodies of some hostages from Jabalia and in May reported “perhaps the fiercest” fighting there since the start of the bombardment.

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