Displaced Palestinians find shelter among graves in Gaza cemeteries

In war-torn Gaza, some displaced Palestinians have found no refuge but the cemeteries — living among the dead in makeshift tents between gravestones.

For five months, Maisa Brikah and her children have been living in a sun-scorched cemetery in the southern city of Khan Younis, where around 30 families have taken shelter. Gravestones now serve as tables and seats, and tents stand amid rows of tombs.

During the day, children play in the sand, but nights bring fear.

"When the sun goes down, the children get scared," Brikah said. "They're afraid of the dogs at night — and of the dead."

Nearly all of Gaza's more than 2 million residents have been displaced during the two-year war between Hamas and Israel. With a ceasefire in effect since October 10, some have returned to the ruins of their homes, while others remain crowded into areas outside Israeli control.

In this cemetery, signs of life persist: a prayer rug flutters on a line, smoke rises from a small fire, and a child pushes a water jug on a wheelchair between the graves.

Brikah said her home in Khan Younis was destroyed and Israeli forces now occupy the neighborhood, leaving her family with nowhere else to go. Her nearest "neighbor" is Ahmad Abu Said, who died in 1991 at age 18, according to his tombstone inscribed with Quranic verses.

Other families here fled from northern Gaza, far from the burial sites of their own relatives.

"I'm a grown man, but I still get scared of the graves at night," said Mohammed Shmah, who has lived in the cemetery for three months after his house was destroyed. "I hide in my tent." He said he had only 200 shekels (about $60) left when a friend helped move his family to the cemetery.

His wife, Hanan Shmah, said the lack of money keeps them there. "Of course, life in the cemetery is full of fear, dread, and sleepless nights," she said while washing dishes with precious water in a small basin.

Even among the dead, there is no safety. The United Nations and other observers have reported Israeli strikes on cemeteries during the war. Israel has accused Hamas of using some burial grounds for cover, claiming such sites lose protection when used for military purposes.

As the fighting intensified, many bodies were buried in hospital courtyards and open fields. Traditional burials near family graves became impossible. Now, with the ceasefire, families search for loved ones lost to the rubble.

Palestinian health officials say the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 68,800 — a number that continues to rise as more bodies are recovered.

In Khan Younis, new graves keep appearing in the cemetery where the displaced now live — simple mounds of sand marked by stones.

"After the ceasefire, my life is the same inside the cemetery," said Shmah. "I gained nothing."