Gaza diary part 38: ‘In that hour I grew 20 years older … all I want is to survive’

A boy with plastic sheets to use for his family’s shelter in Rafah. Palestinians’ makeshift tents give little protection in the winter, when temperatures can drop below 10C. Photograph: Getty

Friday 29 December

8am For the past three days, my sister and her friends have been out for hours searching for a place for her friend and her two daughters, who had no place to go. Finding a space to set up a tent is almost impossible these days, with the increasing numbers of displaced families from the surrounding areas. After a lot of searching, they were able to find a spot for them.