Overpopulation, Poverty In Gaza Leads To Living Among The Dead

Overpopulation, Poverty In Gaza Leads To Living Among The Dead
Photo by Meruyert Gonullu via Pexels

12-10-2022

Vivien Fakhoury

Middle East and Human Rights Researcher

Global Human Rights Defence

Gaza’s population is expected to double within the next 30 years, and as of September 2022, 65 percent live below the poverty line and 60 percent are unemployed. [1] This overpopulation and poverty pushes Palestinians in Gaza to live in cemeteries. Families live in poorly built brick houses with tin or tent-like roofs that lack insulation in the hot summer and rainy winter months. Access to water and electricity is limited, and there is a lingering “smell of death.” In some cases, landfills, where waste is actively burnt, are located next to the cemeteries vis-à-vis their homes, posing serious health risks. Residents’ main source of income is servicing the graves and helping in funeral ceremonies. [2]

The space is not only running out for those alive. As more cemeteries close their doors due to full capacity, it is becoming difficult for families to find land to bury their dead. Thus, many continue to bury their relatives in old, closed cemeteries. [3] Such “illegal” burials are used by Israeli authorities as reasons to exhume the bodies and instead build other attractions. In October 2021, construction began to remodel sections of the Al Yusufiya cemetery in Jerusalem into a national park, which will be part of a larger ‘Jewish Biblical Trail’ of several parks. Videos of Ola Nababta being dragged by Israeli soldiers from her son’s grave circulated in social media. Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority claimed that her son and other graves in the proximity were illegally buried outside the official perimeters of the cemetery. Nababta however, said the Committee for the Care of Islamic Cemeteries in Jerusalem gave her permission to bury her son in that location. The soldiers failed to move her, and when bulldozers came to cover her son’s grave with soil, she said, “Pour the earth over me and bury me beside him.” [4] 

In June 2020, protests broke out to save the Al-Isaaf cemetery in Jaffa, a 200-year-old, historical, Ottoman cemetery. Construction was briefly halted due to a lawsuit, but in July 2020, a court approved construction of the planned homeless shelter. [5] Even the Hilton Hotel built in the 1960s in Tel Aviv was built on the Abd a-Nabi cemetery. [6]

Another notorious example is Jerusalem’s Museum of Tolerance. Construction started in 2004 on an ancient, historical, Islamic cemetery where Prophet Muhammad’s companions are said to be buried, among thousands of other tombs. At the beginning, the remains were photographed, sketched, and carefully placed in boxes for reburial, but as time went on, those responsible for the project became impatient once they realized this would take years. As a result, archeological standards were thrown out the window, the use of unsuitable tools led to the damaging of skeletal remains, and bones were randomly thrown in boxes together, disregarding who they belonged to. Several employees quit because of the way the cemetery was treated. The Museum is yet to be completed. Overall, the construction is highly secretive and sensitive. The site is still surrounded by construction fences that prevent looking inside and security cameras monitor the inside and outside. Workers had to sign non-disclosure agreements, their electronic devices are taken upon entry, and they are searched upon exit. The project is limited to Israeli workers, and Palestinians are not allowed to participate. [7] 

Not only in Gaza, but all over Israel and Palestine, Palestinian families are moving to cemeteries while Islamic cemeteries are simultaneously being destroyed to build homeless shelters, hotels, museums, and parks, throwing into question the respect for Palestinian and Islamic history.

Sources and Further Reading:

[1] United Nations. (2022, September 4). One third of Gaza Strip population in need of psychological and social support. UN News. https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1125712

[2] Akila, H. (2013, August 19). عائلات تعيش في مقبرة غزة القديمة منذ النكبة. Al Jazeera. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x3wX2OpTBo; al-Kas, M. A. (2019, November 12). غزة: عائلات تعيش بين النفايات والقبور في مخيم نهر البارد. France24. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgOcpg8PVBY; al-Mughrabi, N., & Salem, M. (2022, October 4). Gaza struggles to accommodate the living and the dead as population grows. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/israel-palestinians-gaza-population/; Othman, M. (2014, May 23). غزة: عائلات تعيش بين الأموات. The New Arab. https://www.alaraby.co.uk/غزة-عائلات-تعيش-بين-الأموات

[3] Al-Maghribi, N. (2008, January 21). صعوبات جديدة في دفن الموتى بسبب إغلاق غزة. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/oegtp-mid-gaza-graves-ah3-idARAOLR17662220080121

[4] Cook, J. (2016, April 13). Israel's 'Bible Trail': Demolishing Palestinian homes to make national parks. Middle East Eye. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israels-bible-trail-demolishing-palestinian-homes-make-national-parks; Jundi, A. (2021, October 29). Jerusalem Palestinians fight to preserve cemetery slated for demolition. Middle East Eye. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/jerusalem-palestine-israel-cemetery-demolition-fight; News Wires. (2021, October 27). Outrage over Israel's building of a Jerusalem park over Palestinian cemetery. France24. https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20211027-outrage-over-israel-s-building-of-a-jerusalem-park-over-palestinian-cemetary

[5] Masarwa, L. (2020, June 19). Palestinian citizens of Israel protest to save Jaffa cemetery. Middle East Eye. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestinian-jaffa-cemetery-protest-planned-demolition; MEE Staff. (2020, July 7). Palestinians lose legal battle to save Jaffa's 200-year-old Muslim cemetery. Middle East Eye. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestinians-israel-lose-appeal-save-historic-cemetery-jaffa

[6] Matzpen. (2020, December 16). Ahmad Massarweh: Skeletons under the Hilton Hotel. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTja-SobQdE; Al Jazeera. (2010, January 17). إسرائيل تحول مقابر الفلسطينيين فنادق. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.net/news/reportsandinterviews/2010/1/17/إسرائيل-تحول-مقابر-الفلسطينيين-فنادق

[7] Hasson, N. (2010, May 18). Museum of Tolerance Special Report / Part I: Holes, Holiness and Hollywood. Haaretz. https://www.haaretz.com/2010-05-18/ty-article/museum-of-tolerance-special-report-part-i-holes-holiness-and-hollywood/0000017f-e295-d804-ad7f-f3ff8ec50000; Hasson, N. (2010, May 18). Museum of Tolerance Special Report / Part II: Secrets from the grave. Haaretz. https://www.haaretz.com/2010-05-18/ty-article/museum-of-tolerance-special-report-part-ii-secrets-from-the-grave/0000017f-e290-d804-ad7f-f3fa72ce0000; Hasson, N. (2022, June 12). Jerusalem's Museum of Tolerance Has Little to Do With Museums or Tolerance. Haaretz. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2022-06-12/ty-article-magazine/.premium/jerusalems-museum-of-tolerance-has-little-to-do-with-museums-or-tolerance/00000181-53fb-d03f-a3e7-d7ffccdb0000