‘This is where I live now, the back of a truck’: a day in the life of a grandmother in Gaza
As the war in Gaza approaches its fourth year, the Guardian follows five ordinary Palestinians as they go about their lives. Each tells the story of their day, revealing the terrible toll of the conflict. At 76, Mansoura’s most precious possession is the key to her former home.
TL;DR
- Mansoura, a 76-year-old grandmother, lives in the back of a pickup truck, her family residing in torn tents.
- She describes daily struggles with heat, mosquitoes, sand, and dirt, and the difficulty of preparing food with limited resources.
- Her former life was comfortable, involving farming and livestock, which was destroyed along with her home.
- She highlights the loss of basic amenities, income, and good food, making life unbearable.
- Her most precious possessions are the key to her bulldozed house and a bullet extracted from her son's back after he was shot trying to get flour.
- Mansoura finds happiness in her children and grandchildren being safe and well, despite the devastating circumstances.