Crafting Hope: Wooden Sandals in Gaza's Crisis

Amid Gaza's turmoil, 12-year-old Heba Dawas's father crafts wooden-soled sandals to help her navigate the hazardous environment. Displaced by conflict and facing shortages, his ingenuity now serves the community, making sandals in demand despite challenges. The humanitarian crisis persists, impacting thousands as border aid remains scarce.

Twelve-year-old Heba Dawas lost her sandals in the chaos of fleeing Israel's military offensive in Gaza.

To ensure her safety while navigating the rubble, hot sand, and twisted metal of the besieged Palestinian enclave, her carpenter father crafted wooden-soled sandals. 'When we were displaced, we started running, and the sandals broke,' said Heba, who now lives in a tent camp in Khan Younis.

'I threw them off and started running. Our feet became very hot. So, we had to make sandals from wood,' she said, now walking more safely in her new footwear. Her father, Saber Dawas, 39, was prompted to make wooden sandals after finding the price of new ones too expensive. His ingenuity has since caught the attention of neighbors, who requested sandals for their children, paying a symbolic price.

Despite resource challenges, the wooden sandals, each custom-made, have become essential for some. Gaza's humanitarian crisis, sparked by Hamas's attack on Israel and the subsequent conflict, has left over 41,000 Palestinians dead and nearly 2 million displaced. Aid and basic goods are in short supply, and continued border closures have worsened living conditions, affecting even basic necessities like footwear.

With mismatched shoes becoming common and conditions deteriorating, without opening the border soon, many Gazans may find themselves barefoot, warns Momen al-Qarra, a local cobbler.

(With inputs from agencies.)