The Abu Jarad family lost the stability and comfort of their northern Gaza home when Israel launched its campaign in retaliation for Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. They did exactly as the Israelis ordered in the devastating weeks and months of war that followed. They obeyed evacuation calls. They moved where the military told them to. Seven times they fled. Each one, their lives became more unrecognizable, crowding with strangers in a school, searching for water in a tent camp or sleeping on the street. Nearly all of Gaza has been driven from homes – 1.9 million of its 2.4 million Palestinians. Like the Abu Jarads, most have been uprooted multiple times. Oct. 7 marks one year of war and displacement for the Abu Jarads and others.
