Akram Qasem, a Palestinian father of eight, lives in overcrowded tents in Gaza after losing his home, now facing contaminated water, rodent attacks and lack of income after losing an arm in an airstrike. Despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in October 2025, continued strikes have killed more than 1,000 people, and Al-Shifa Hospital has been heavily damaged, with only three of eight buildings remaining. Around 1.4 million people—about 67% of Gaza's population—depend on food distributions, while families struggle to obtain medical care and basic necessities.
Family Besieged: Father Of Eight Struggles To Survive As Gaza Airstrikes And Humanitarian Crisis Continue
ABC News - PHOTO: Abu and his 3-year-old daughter Waad.
Every parent wants a safer future for their children; few expect their child to grow up inside an active warzone. This is the daily reality for Akram Qasem, a Palestinian father of eight who now lives with his wife, children and relatives in a cluster of improvised tents after losing his home in Beit Hanoun.
Life In Makeshift Camps
One tent shelters 12 people while contaminated water flows through the encampment, creating unsanitary conditions and raising the risk of disease. With Gaza largely sealed off from the outside world, opportunities to earn money for food, medicine and shelter are minimal. Akram, who had his arm amputated after being wounded in an Israeli airstrike, told ABC News he has no income and fears for his children’s future.
ABC News - PHOTO: Waad Qasem was bitten on the nose by rat, her family said.
Continued Violence Despite Ceasefire
Although a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect in October 2025, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that Israeli strikes across Gaza have since killed more than 1,000 people. The Israeli government has accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire and said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) act to defend against threats, claiming strikes target militants after taking precautions.
Healthcare Under Strain
Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest medical complex, has been repeatedly hit during the conflict. According to hospital director Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, only three of the eight buildings that existed in 2023 remain and fewer than half of the operating rooms are functional, making it extremely difficult to treat the many injured. Volunteer physicians describe shortages of supplies and ongoing bombardment that prevent hospitals from saving many patients with otherwise treatable conditions.
ABC News - PHOTO: Waad, carrying a pot at a food distribution site.
Rising Health Risks From Unsanitary Conditions
Overcrowding and filth have led to new health hazards. Akram’s 3-year-old daughter, Waad, was bitten on the nose by a rat while sleeping in the tent. Although she received emergency care, the family cannot afford follow-up medications and ointments. Medical volunteers warn that rodents and mosquitoes breeding in stagnant water pose serious disease risks.
Territorial Changes And Access To Aid
Satellite images and reports indicate that Israeli forces have built a barrier running the equivalent of more than half the length of the Gaza Strip and that control on the ground has expanded since the ceasefire; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel aims to control a larger portion of the territory. Around 1.4 million people — roughly 67% of Gaza’s population — now rely on food distributions from aid agencies, forcing families to visit multiple distribution points daily to try to secure enough food.
A Father's Plea And Hopes For The Future
Give us passports, give us a way out. We are not living. Let us live even half the life that people outside of Gaza are living,
Akram told reporters. Despite the loss, disability and daily struggle for food and medical care, he still hopes his children will one day return to school, have a home and live in peace.
Key Facts: Al-Shifa Hospital is severely damaged and under-resourced; ongoing strikes continue despite the ceasefire; unsanitary conditions have led to rodent and mosquito-borne disease risks; roughly two-thirds of Gaza depend on humanitarian food aid.
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