Life on the Back of a Pickup Truck: A Grandmother’s Daily Reality in Gaza

The conflict in Gaza is now approaching its fourth year. Earlier, a 52-day war forced many families to shelter in schools, but the current hostilities have produced far greater destruction and displacement, according to the account of Mansoura Ibrahim Mohammed Abdel Dayem, a 76-year-old resident of northern Gaza.

The Guardian

Mansoura lives in the open-back of a flat-bed pickup that her family took after fleeing Beit Lahia. She balances on a thin cushion to enter the truck, sleeps on a squab mattress, and uses a plastic bucket to wash clothing by hand. Mornings begin after the dawn prayer; she climbs onto a white plastic chair brought by her grandson, prepares a small gas stove—often struggling for fuel—to boil water and brew coffee that tastes of paraffin. Lunch consists of basil grown in a tin can, garlic, tomato and a slice of bread, while evenings are spent gathering grandchildren on the ground to recount memories of their former home.

The Guardian

Before the war, Mansoura described herself as a farmer who owned a two-storey house, livestock, and a washing machine. She now carries a leather satchel containing the key to that house, which she says was bulldozed by “occupation forces” along with trees, a well and a pen of animals. She also keeps a bullet extracted from her son’s back, a reminder of the fatal encounter that occurred when he sought flour for his seven children during a famine.

The Guardian

Mansoura reports that tents are overcrowded, infested with insects, and exposed to extreme heat in summer and strong winds in winter. She notes the absence of a proper bathroom and the difficulty of maintaining hygiene. Despite these hardships, she finds brief relief in the safety of her children, the presence of her grandchildren, and moments of gratitude for being alive. Each night she returns to the truck, where she sleeps on the mattress to escape the sand, dirt and insects that pervade the tent environment.

The Guardian