Boxes stuffed with clothing, a few backpacks, and a portable tent: these were what remained of Marah Mahdi’s possessions as she sheltered at a UN facility in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah in early May. A 23-year-old Palestinian journalist from Gaza City, Mahdi had survived a winding, tumultuous journey that was emblematic of the endless displacements suffered by most of the Strip’s population — and one that is still far from over.
Mahdi was at home on Oct. 20 when Israeli airstrikes and artillery bombs shelled her neighborhood in preparation for the army’s ground offensive. The next morning, she and 11 members of her immediate and extended family packed what they could and headed south, fleeing with only the clothes on their backs, some essential documentation, and food. ….more
