Gaza diary 4: Rana Elhindi

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In a bleak final entry, Save the Children worker Rana Elhindi concludes her diary on the current crisis in Gaza for the BBC News website. <hr />

Rana Elhindi is struggling to keep pace with the needs of this crisis

We are working from the emergency generator and have to interrupt our work by switching the generator off for a few hours in the day.

I was told this morning that there is only enough fuel to keep our office vehicles running until the end of next week.

The electricity supply is erratic and power cuts can last for between 8-12 hours.

It's so unpredictable you can't plan your working day and life.

Last week I was planning to travel to Jerusalem to meet my colleagues in the Save the Children office so we can continue coordinating our emergency response for Gaza.

But no Palestinian aid workers are allowed to leave Gaza now because of the blockade.

Food shortages

I will stay here in Gaza and try and coordinate my work with the team over the telephone and unreliable e-mail connection.

Children play near the border at Rafah between Egypt and Gaza

We are coordinating with the local organisations that we work with to purchase supplies.

It is a very slow process wrapped in complicated red tape.

We are being told that it will take at least 15 days to manufacture the water and fuel tankers so we can supply them to the most vulnerable people - this gives you some idea of the delays that people are facing to ensure that they can access clean and safe drinking water.

Yesterday I went to the supermarket and was amazed to see a new chocolate bar on the shelf from Egypt - it's interesting to see what kind of new 'food' is available in the market.

Chocolate is very much a luxury item that most people cannot afford especially since the price has doubled over the past week.

There is a shortage of basics such as bread, milk and eggs.

I am left to walk around and investigate what else is available in the shop.

The movement of people crossing into Egypt continues despite sections of the border being sealed off.

A boy flashes a V-sign next to the breached fence at Rafah

For many Palestinians this is the first time that they have left Gaza.

I know a family who went to Rafah recently and turned the event into a family day out.

A colleague borrowed money from a neighbour and friends and even asked for an advance on her wages so she could travel to Egypt and buy essential food supplies.

She also brought products to sell in Gaza.

It's cold and everything feels damp because of the rain - the streets are full of mud that is sloshing around.

Cooped up

Gaza feels like a depressing place more so because there are very few people on the streets.

I have been spending time with my 16-year-old sister and 15-year-old cousin and I am saddened to see how much the current situation is affecting them.

It's the school winter holidays and if it was a normal school break young people would be with their friends enjoying time away from the pressure of homework and preparing for exams.

Instead they are cooped up inside stressed about the lack of electricity and fuel and the price of food.

Egyptian forces place barbed wire on a breached part of the border wall

My sister told me that this is the worst vacation ever and that she feels very anxious as she has no idea what will happen next.

My sister is a very bright and creative student – it's heart-breaking for me to see such an active young child so down.

She has a great sense of humour and is good at making us laugh but the ongoing misery in Gaza is having a devastating impact on her and many children.

No dreams

She told me yesterday that she is too afraid to dream about the future - instead she spends hours and days worrying about how we will buy food when the markets are empty and the prices are rocketing.

My 15-year-old cousin is in the same boat.

She lives on the sixth floor of a building where water and electricity are scarce even before this most recent emergency.

Most people living in high buildings receive a very limited supply of water and electricity and many have to go to a family member's house to take a shower or do their washing.

Recently a bomb went off close to the apartment and my younger cousin was injured.

The children are withdrawn, not sleeping or eating properly worried about their families and friends.

Next week the school term starts again in Gaza.

Many youngsters are looking forward to getting back into the classroom just to keep their minds distracted from the daily reality of life in Gaza.

<a class="bodl" href="/1/hi/world/middle_east/7203458.stm">Gaza diary 1</a><a class="bodl" href="/1/hi/world/middle_east/7205568.stm">Gaza diary 2</a><a class="bodl" href="/1/hi/world/middle_east/7207744.stm">Gaza diary 3</a>