SHOTLIST

GAZA STRIP, PALESTINE (NOV. 5, 2025) (ANADOLU-ACCESS ALL) (NIGHT SHOTS)

1. DISPLACED PALESTINIANS OUTSIDE MAKESHIFT TENTS NEXT TO DESTROYED HOUSES

2. ABU NAJI FAMILY SITTING NEXT TO WOOD FIRE OUTSIDE TENT (2 SHOTS)

3. VARIOUS OF FAMILY AROUND WOODFIRE IN TENT

4. VARIOUS OF CHILDREN HAVING MEAL AS WOOD FIRE ILLUMINATES TENT

5. BREAD IN PLASTIC BAG

6. VARIOUS OF FAMILY MEMBERS IN TENT

7. CLOSE-UP OF BOY SITTING

8. CLOSE-UP OF WOOD FIRE

9. MOTHER SHOWING BOOK TO GIRLS AND SPEAKING

10. FAMILY MEMBERS GATHERED AROUND WOODFIRE

11. FATHER SITTING NEXT TO WOODFIRE, PLACING PAPER UNDER TEA POT ON FLAMES

12. CLOSE-UP OF BOOK ON LEGS OF LITTLE GIRL AS MOTHER (OUT OF SHOT) SHOWS PICTURES ON PAGE

13. GIRLS AND GRANDMOTHER SITTING

14. FAMILY MEMBERS SITTING NEXT TO WOODFIRE IN TENT

15. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DISPLACED PALESTINIAN MOTHER SAYING:

"Really, for almost three years, we've been experiencing electricity issues. Our situation is completely terrible; it's really difficult for us."

16. WHITE FLASH

17. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DISPLACED PALESTINIAN MOTHER SAYING:

"Our situation is extremely bad. We have two daughters, a father, and my son. As we burn things with this fire for work, my husband’s leg has become badly damaged from the fire."

18. WHITE FLASH

19. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DISPLACED PALESTINIAN MOTHER SAYING:

“We used to live in paradise when we had electricity. We would sit together, and time would pass without us even knowing how, because it felt like paradise. We entertained ourselves, and the little children would sit peacefully under the television. It felt like heaven. Now they sit outside like this. We can’t prevent them from going out into the streets; we can’t even control them, because we are living in a tent with no electricity for them to enjoy, and no phones to keep them entertained, as people used to provide them with before."

20. WHITE FLASH

21. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DISPLACED PALESTINIAN MOTHER SAYING:

"Yes, of course, we used to rely on doing laundry with electricity. We would do everything using electric washing. My hands have been badly affected; honestly, my fingers have been burned three times, and I can’t even lift them anymore because of all the washing. And after all that effort, it’s for nothing — it doesn’t help. You need soap and cleaning supplies too. We only put a little bit of liquid detergent in the washing machine, and we have to wash three loads on it. We can’t keep up with the laundry or anything else. Electricity has been gone for us so much, really, really a lot."

22. WHITE FLASH

23. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DISPLACED PALESTINIAN MOTHER SAYING:

"Right now, there’s no saving, nothing at all. Everything depends on the phone — you need to charge it, and you have to pay for battery power. You need to charge it, and you pay five shekels. As for gas, we can’t even afford it to make a fire. We can’t bake bread properly; we bake on a pot because we can’t do it otherwise. When we find wood, we bake using an oven, and when there’s no wood, we can’t cook anything. May Allah make it easier for us during bread-making days too."

24. WHITE FLASH

25. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DISPLACED PALESTINIAN MOTHER SAYING:

"We demand everything like the rest of the world. We are asking for anything — not for ourselves, but for the children. The children’s rights have been denied; nothing is left for them. We sleep… we sleep in darkness, not on a mattress. My daughter tells me, ‘Mom, take me to the bathroom,’ holding onto the phone’s light to help her. She is still very young and can barely manage. We take her carefully to the bathroom, then we return. Where are we supposed to get light from? Is this our life — sitting in the street? We don’t even know where to go; as you can see, we are here. When the rain came, we had nowhere to shelter. Allah knows our situation. We can’t manage. My husband doesn’t work, and he can’t go bring things we need. We talk a hundred times during the night, looking at the time, but time never moves. We wait for the daylight just to see if things might be better. We can’t handle this life anymore — all of it is just hardship.”

26. WHITE FLASH

27. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DISPLACED PALESTINIAN MOTHER SAYING:

"Where are we supposed to go now? Is this our life? We are sitting out in the street — where can we even go for shelter? As you can see, when it rains, what do we do? Where can we find cover? Allah knows our situation; we can’t handle it. My husband doesn’t work, and he can’t go bring us what we need or do anything for us."

28. WHITE FLASH

29. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DISPLACED PALESTINIAN MOTHER SAYING:

"We talk a hundred times during the night, checking what time it is, but the time stays the same. We wait and ask when daylight will come so we can see things during the day. We can’t handle this kind of life at all, by Allah.”

30. PEOPLE WALKING ON PARTLY DARK STREET

GAZA STRIP, PALESTINE - NOV. 5: For nearly three years, a severe electricity crisis has plunged the Gaza Strip into a daily struggle for survival amid Israel’s genocidal war, forcing displaced families to resort to dangerous alternatives for light and warmth, with significant health and safety consequences.

The situation, which long preceded the current conflict, has been exacerbated by a complete cutoff of power from Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. According to The Times of Israel, Israel made the decision to cut all electricity to Gaza in the wake of the Hamas-led attacks, which resulted in the deaths of 1,139 people in southern Israel and saw around 250 others taken captive.

Last March, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen announced a further step, ordering all of Gaza's electricity supply to be cut off to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining Israeli hostages held in the territory. This move came amid a wider Israeli offensive that reportedly killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

For families like the Abu Naji, who were displaced from their village of Magraka and now live in a makeshift tent, life without electricity is a relentless cycle of hardship.

"Really, for almost three years we've been experiencing electricity issues. Our situation is completely terrible; it's really difficult for us," said the mother of the family, as they gathered around a wood fire inside their tent.

The fires they burn for warmth and light produce smoke and toxic gases, posing a serious risk, especially to children. The practice has also led to direct injuries. "My husband’s leg has become badly damaged from the fire," she added.

The family reminisces about a time when electricity was available, describing it as "paradise."

"We would sit together, and time would pass without us even knowing how... the little children would sit peacefully under the television. It felt like heaven. Now they sit outside like this," she said, explaining they cannot control the children as the tent offers no entertainment or comfort.

The lack of power has also crippled basic household tasks. The mother described how her hands have been burned and damaged from hand-washing clothes, a necessity without electric washing machines.

Life now revolves around finding and paying for scarce alternatives. Charging a phone costs five shekels, and even basic cooking is a challenge.

"We can’t bake bread properly; we bake in a pot because we can’t do it otherwise. When we find wood, we bake using an oven, and when there’s no wood, we can’t bake anything," she said.

The darkness transforms night into an endless ordeal. "We sleep in darkness, not on a mattress," the woman shared. Her young daughter must use the light from a phone to find her way to the bathroom.

"We talk a hundred times during the night, looking at the time, but time never moves. We wait for the daylight just to see if things might be better," she expressed in despair. "We can’t handle this life anymore — all of it is just hardship."

She concluded with a plea, not for the adults, but for the children: "We demand everything like the rest of the world... The children’s rights have been denied; nothing is left for them."

Israel has killed close to 69,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 170,600 others in attacks in Gaza since October 2023.

Palestinian authorities say 9,500 people remain missing under the rubble from Israeli bombardment, while more than 10,000 Palestinians, including women and children, are held in Israeli prisons.


Writing by Sibel Uygun