Meet Amal*: A Mother Holding Four Daughters Through War and Displacement
Posted on 15 Jan 2026
Amal comes from Gaza City. She now lives in an informal displacement site in Rafah, in a torn tent that she shares with her four daughters between 8 and 17 years old. Their survival has been her responsibility and resilience has been her only shelter.
The catastrophe in Gaza forced Amal and her children to flee more than 12 times. She recalls being rejected by family members who could no longer or would no longer host them, leaving them without protection or a place to sleep.“Every time we settled somewhere, we had to flee again.We slept in the street for two weeks.”Those two weeks were the darkest days of her life. The family slept against the wall of a bombed mosque at night and stayed in the street during the day.
“My oldest daughter used to go to the aid trucks to bring food. She’s only 17, but she’s the one keeping us alive. She also helps with translation online. She’s brilliant in English.”
Surviving displacement was not only exhausting but violent and traumatic.
“We walked over the bodies of people who had just been killed. We were shot at. We heard screams, saw blood, saw death in front of our eyes.”
DRC’s Protection Program
DRC continues to provide case management, psychological first aid, and cash-for-protection support for vulnerable families, while expanding its protection team.
Key Findings
Families have been displaced an average of six times since 7 October 2023; some up to twelve times. Many return to damaged, service-poor neighborhoods or overcrowded sites.
Even during ceasefires, shelling, airstrikes and ground fire persist, resulting in ongoing civilian casualties, including women and children. In total since beginning of December, almost 1,300 security incidents have been recorded (UNDSS). Staff have faced repeated displacement and personal loss.
Protection and MHPSS services are overstretched: caseworkers manage 20+ cases daily on 16-hour shifts, with only 30–40% of sector funding met.
In newly identified Mawasi Rafah sites (6,500 people), overcrowding and lack of privacy heighten GBV and psychosocial risks, especially for women and female-headed households.
In Gaza City, 65% of households report safety concerns accessing sanitation; 4% report open defecation (mostly children), highlighting WASH–protection linkages.
No functional referral system exists for MHPSS, worsening strain on frontline workers.
DRC Activities
Crisis counseling, case management, and Psychological First Aid.
Referrals to specialized and life-saving services.
Community-based protection through local partners and site committees.
MHPSS support for frontline workers and vulnerable groups.
Protection monitoring and evidence-based advocacy.
Today Amal and her daughters live in a worn tent placed over sand and plastic. It offers little privacy, little safety and no security from weather or people.“Someone kind gave me this tent; it’s old and falling apart, but it’s better than nothing. We have no bathroom. We use a big bucket inside the tent. There’s no privacy. Anyone can enter. I can’t lock the door because there is no door.”
Because she is considered “abandoned not divorced” she appears outside eligibility lists and cannot access regular aid. The family relies entirely on charity.“My daughters haven’t been to school for two years. We have no money, no help, nothing. My youngest has lung atrophy. She faints often and gets no treatment. Every explosion makes her lose consciousness.”
Winter is their greatest fear.“When it rains, the tent collapses on our heads. Last winter, we woke up soaked and freezing. Winter for us is a nightmare.”She remembers the cold as painful and the rain as endless.“The cold was unbearable. The rain came through the tent. We had no blankets, no warm clothes. The girls cried all night. I tried to make a small fire, but the smoke made my daughter sick.”
She fears repeating the same conditions again.“I don’t know how we will survive this winter. I fear the rain, the cold, and the dogs that attack our tent at night. I want my daughters to sleep safely, to be warm, and to go back to school one day.”
People outside Gaza should know that we are not numbers. We are mothers and children trying to survive. Every night, I hold my daughters close and pray that we wake up alive.
/ Amal
Even with trauma, insecurity and exclusion from formal support, Amal still imagines a future where her daughters are safe, educated and able to dream.“I don’t dream of luxury. I want safety, a small room with a door that locks, and a school for my girls. I want to feel human again.”
Her voice softens when she thinks of what she wants the world to understand.“People outside Gaza should know that we are not numbers. We are mothers and children trying to survive. Every night, I hold my daughters close and pray that we wake up alive.”
Her experience reflects the reality of thousands of displaced women in Gaza who are raising children under extreme vulnerability without legal recognition, without shelter dignity and without access to services that could protect them.
* Names have been changed to protect the identity of those interviewed
