Mawasi’s beach refuge for the displaced

Just meters from the Mediterranean lies the coastal area of Mawasi, which stretches 12 kilometers along the shore and a kilometer inland, and is filled with tents made of repurposed cloth and old tin sheets. These tents house large numbers of displaced Palestinians who have arrived over the last few months to take shelter in Mawasi’s “safe area”. Despite spending their days and nights on the sandy beach overlooking the Mediterranean’s blue waters, this is no holiday. They are there in an attempt to flee the dangers of Israeli military operations across the strip, and despite that, over 90 Palestinians were killed there in an Israeli strike on July 13.

With the advent of summer, which marks vacation season in most of the world, things are out of place this year in Mawasi. The area previously teemed with summer vacationers from Khan Younis and Rafah who spent the season enjoying themselves and taking a break. This year, however, the area has filled with the displaced seeking safe shelter, first in the autumn of 2023, followed by more in winter and spring of 2024, until displacement reached its current peak this summer. As for the beautiful sea and sand, it has become a source of play not for vacationers, but for children whose displacement shelters are crowded along the shoreline.