‘I miss my crayons’: An 11-year-old in Gaza must find water for his family
Al Jazeera
Karem Samra must now shelter with his family in the school where he once studied and played.
Gaza City, Gaza Strip — School is no longer where 11-year-old Karem Samra goes to study and play every day. Instead, it is where he and his family have been sheltering for the past four months, hoping for protection among its shattered windows and destroyed classrooms.
Every day Karem goes out to queue for six hours to get two gallons (7.6 litres) of dirty water for his family. On a good day, a very good day, he can get the water back to the school and his waiting family.
“Sometimes when I am heading back to the classroom with our water, I fall because they’re heavy. I cry, because I know there’s no one to help, and that my family won’t have anything to drink that day,” he told Al Jazeera, the pale dust still caught in his eyebrows.
Waiting for his return are Karem’s four sisters and his parents, Suzanne and Ameen Samra.
His father, Ameen, 54, is a fisher who was once able to provide for his family. The Israeli blockade has severed that lifeline.
