In Gaza Cemeteries, Life Among the Dead
In Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, some displaced Palestinians have sought refuge inside cemeteries, turning gravestones into makeshift living spaces. Families like that of Maisa Brikah, who has lived with her children for five months in a sun-scorched cemetery, share this unusual shelter with nearly 30 other families.
Among the graves, life persists. A toddler with blonde hair plays near a tent, sifting sand through small fingers, while another child hides curiously behind a fabric curtain. As night falls, fear returns.
“When the sun goes down, the children get scared and don’t want to go, and I have a few children, four small ones,” said Brikah. “They are afraid to go out because of the dogs at night, and the dead.”
The Gaza war, ongoing for nearly two years between Hamas and Israel, has displaced the majority of the territory’s over two million residents. Although the ceasefire of October 10 has allowed some to return to their ruins, others remain crowded in areas outside Israeli control. In several Gaza cemeteries, survival and grief coexist.
Near Brikah’s tent stands the tomb of Ahmad Abu Said, who died in 1991 at the age of 18. His grave bears Quranic verses, a reminder of the sacredness many here struggle to respect even while they live among the dead.
Despite the discomfort and sense of intrusion, families here have little choice but to endure the uneasy coexistence of life and memory, hope and loss.
Author Summary
Displaced Gazans like Maisa Brikah endure life in cemeteries, where survival merges uneasily with reverence for the dead amid prolonged conflict and displacement.