Gaza City, Gaza Strip – Beside a mountain of destroyed rubble, Samah al-Dabla lives in a makeshift tent with her children, gripped by a fear that did not exist in their lives before the war: the rats that now invade their shelter.Samah always keeps her children, three-year-old Mayaseen, and four-year-old Asaad, in sight, and spends most of her day cleaning in a desperate attempt to discourage the rats, but to no avail.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listA week ago, she was woken up in the middle of the night by Mayaseen screaming, “Thief, thief”. At first, Samah did not understand what was happening, but when she picked up her daughter, she noticed blood on her hand.“Her father turned on a flashlight, and we saw the rat running inside the tent … it was very large, like a rabbit.”The parents realised the animal had attacked Mayaseen and bitten her hand, causing visible bleeding on her body and staining her mattress with blood. The local medical clinic was unable to treat Mayaseen, who was instead taken to central Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital. Despite receiving treatment, the child continues to be terrified by what happened.“She has become very afraid,” Samah says. “Every night she wants to sleep in my arms. She wakes up terrified, afraid of hearing the sounds of rats near us.” Samah herself struggles to sleep, fearing a repeat of the incident.Samah adds that she believes the rats have become more aggressive because they “have become used …
