In Gaza, we’ve resorted to drinking salty water just to keep ourselves from fainting by Hassan Herzallah

A neighbor in the camp noticed that I was about to fall and helped me sit in a corner by the road. When it was my turn and I filled up my water, my friend helped me carry the two bottles. At that moment, I wanted to tell my parents what had happened, but I held back. I thought, “If I tell them, they’ll worry.” I decided to rest a little and go out in the afternoon to buy what we needed.

But I couldn’t go out at that time. I felt extremely dizzy, and the heat was stifling — we lived in tents with no shade under a scorching sun.

That day, we didn’t eat anything for breakfast. I waited until the weather calmed down a bit, then went to the market to buy something. I hadn’t expected to see it so empty.