In brief
A Palestinian family struggles without power as the ongoing conflict leaves them with no electricity for over a year.
Mariam Abu Amra's household is a grim representation of life in Gaza, where the absence of electricity has become the norm since the onset of war. As night falls, panic engulfs her six children who find themselves enveloped in darkness, their surroundings lit only by the flickering lights of cellphone screens, which are quickly losing power. For Mariam, a 36-year-old resident of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, the struggle has become a nightly ritual. "Every night is a struggle for us," she states, expressing the helplessness she feels as her children inquire when electricity will return – a question she can no longer answer.The dire situation stems from Israel's decision to cut off Gaza's electricity supply in the early days of the conflict, a move aimed at weakening Hamas but resulting in a yearlong blackout that has led to extreme deprivation. Basic necessities, from functional medical devices to simple bedroom lamps, have become unattainable luxuries. "I never knew how much this community relies on electricity," Mariam reflects, admitting that she now resorts to cooking over an open flame and performing laundry by hand before sundown, striving to maximize the daylight. The ongoing blackout has left its residents psychologically and physically drained, as the struggle to adapt to such conditions becomes increasingly formidable.
