When Privacy Disappears: Life Inside Displacement Shelters in Gaza

• Displacement shelters in Gaza, primarily converted schools, have become sites of extreme overcrowding where privacy has ceased to exist.
• Daily routines including cooking, washing, and resting are now conducted in shared, fully exposed spaces, removing all solitude.
• WHO and UNICEF warn that this density severely complicates essential services, such as healthcare delivery and polio vaccination campaigns.

The Reality of Overcrowding

• Since October 2023, hundreds of thousands of displaced people have relied on UNRWA and government buildings that lack basic private infrastructure.
• The author, who participated in vaccination field work, highlights that every movement and care interaction occurs in dense settings where boundaries between individuals have vanished.
• Rest is practiced cautiously, as the environment provides no sense of stability or comfort.

Impact on Children and the Vulnerable

• Children are deprived of safe environments for play, living in conditions that do not meet their basic developmental needs.
• Save the Children estimates that in 2024, approximately 475 children per month in Gaza sustained injuries causing lifelong disabilities, including limb loss and severe sensory impairment.
• These physical challenges are exacerbated by the lack of space and privacy in shelters, making basic daily living conditions nearly impossible to navigate.

Persistent Aftermath

• The concept of "after the war" has not brought relief to shelters; overcrowding and lack of personal space remain normalized realities.
• Displacement has resulted in a permanent loss of a private sphere, shifting how people relate to themselves and their surroundings.
• The normalization of these harsh conditions ensures that the loss of privacy becomes a long-term, entrenched aspect of life for displaced families, leaving them unable to regain the sanctuary of a personal corner.