Desperate Refuge: Displaced Palestinians Find Shelter in Gaza Soccer Arena

Thousands of Palestinians displaced by the Israeli offensive in Gaza have taken refuge in a soccer stadium. Living in makeshift tents, they struggle with insufficient food and water. Many fled from heavily bombed areas with nothing. Despite some aid improvement, insecurity and deprivation persist, affecting both children and adults.

Thousands of Palestinians displaced by the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza have taken refuge in one of the territory's largest soccer arenas. Men, women, and children now live in makeshift tents, struggling for basic necessities like food and water, as they try to stay ahead of the conflict.

Their improvised shelters cling to the stadium's shaded areas, with clothes hanging under the July sun over a dusty, dry soccer field. Among them is Um Bashar, who bathes a toddler in a plastic tub under the covered seating areas. Their present hardship is just the latest in a series of displacements, most recently fleeing renewed operations against Hamas in the Shijaiyah neighborhood of Gaza City.

"We woke up and found tanks in front of the door," she recalls. "We didn't take anything with us—not even food." Now relocated to Yarmouk Sports Stadium along with 70 others, she says there is nothing left of their homes. Many residents echo this, including Hazem Abu Thoraya, who says their homes have been bombed and burned beyond recognition. While aid to northern Gaza has improved recently, and the UN claims it can now meet basic needs, residents still face severe deprivation and a heightened sense of insecurity. "There is no safe place. Safety is with God," says Um Ahmad, another displaced woman, highlighting the pervasive fear among both children and adults.

(With inputs from agencies.)