‘Ula Karim

A 51-year-old mother of five from a-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City

My husband Tal’at (65) and I have been married for about 18 years and have been renting all this time. We have five children: Fares (17), Jum’ah (16), Salem (14), Muhammad (12), and Habib, (10). We currently pay NIS 450 (roughly USD 123) a month in rent. My husband has been selling vegetables all these years, but the income hasn’t been enough to cover even our housing expenses, never mind a house of our own, which I’ve been dreaming about all these years. In recent years, he’s been suffering from hypertension and diabetes, and now, he can’t work anymore. About seven years ago, I opened a vegetable stand in the market in the a-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood. When I started it, I thought our eldest son, Fares, would run it, but in the end, I decided to do it myself, and I’ve been working there ever since. I sell radish, parsley, mint, and all kinds of other greens. I earn very little from this, and it’s not enough to support seven people.  

Our financial situation is not good. My life is very difficult. We haven’t been able to pay rent for about three months now. I dream of being able to pay off all our debt, which comes to tens of thousands of shekels. Until two years ago, we received NIS 1,600 a month (roughly USD 440) from welfare, but they stopped giving families assistance. We get a food basket from UNRWA every three months, and it helps fulfill our needs a little. It enables us to give our neighbors flour back when we borrow from them.  

The electrical appliances in the house are very old and almost unusable. I dream of being able to buy new appliances, a fridge, a washing machine and maybe a TV. But unfortunately, it’s not possible at the moment. Everything is so expensive.  

I haul produce every day and stand on my feet at the stand all day. In the winter, in the wind and rain, it’s very hard. I wish I had a store that was protected from the elements and a tuk-tuk [three-wheeled vehicle] that would make it easier for me to move the produce.  

Our house is not connected to the electricity grid, and it’s very dark. We’re hooked up to the neighbor’s generator with a cable and pay him NIS 30 (roughly USD 8) a month for it. I hope I can find a way to pay the rent because I’m afraid we’ll be thrown into the street. 

I dream of being able to give my children everything they need, including pocket money, so they can buy food for school. All of our clothes are worn out, and we want to buy new ones but can’t afford to.  

All I aspire to in this life is to be able to take care of my children’s needs, put a roof over their heads, and provide them with food and clothes. Our life here in Gaza is very difficult, and I have suffered from it all my life. But I still thank God for what there is and hope that the situation will improve.  

* Testimony given to B'Tselem Field Researcher Olfat al-Kurd on 28 March 2023