The five families still live in tents after their homes were demolished twice by the Israeli occupation forces.

GAZA, June 13, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – On the highway linking Khan Yunis City to Central Gaza, five Palestinian families found no other way but to erect tents after Israeli occupation forces pulled down their houses in two occasions during Al-Aqsa Intifada that erupted in September, 2000.

The site where the tents are erected, in the Qarara area, stands as a gloomy reminder of one of the world's most catastrophic human tragedies, namely the usurpation of Palestine and the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, a date known as "Nakba", for the Palestinians.

As first glance, the tents and the whole site may seem deserted, but a closer look reveals a human tragedy in full proportions. About 30 human beings, including children, elderly and women, live in conditions unfit for humans, to say the least.

The houses of the five families were first destroyed by Israeli occupation forces in the early stages of the Intifada. Following that, the five families moved to temporary houses provided by the UN Refugees and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Al-Matahen area.

They stayed there till May 28, 2002, when the temporary houses were again pulled down by the Israelis, within the occupation's random shelling of Palestinian homes as a collective punishment for resistance attacks.

This time, 23 families were lost their homes, 18 of them registered their names with the UNRWA as homeless. The five families – three from Abu Yunis clan and 2 from Malalha – did not register or were late. The result was this human tragedy that is still lingering so far.

A source with UNRWA, when approached by IOL for an explanation, said the organization is currently studying the case of the five families and there would be a meeting with them this week to see how their problem could best be solved and how they could be moved into homes, instead of the tents.

The tents they currently live in were provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), along with some 200-300 dollars for each family, provided by UNRWA. That was almost three years ago. One can imagine how poor and needy these homeless people are.

Despite their difficult conditions, no official or civil organization offered help, according to the families.

In September 2000, Al-Aqsa Intifada erupted in the wake of the provocative visit of the then Israeli opposition leader Sharon to Al-Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third holiest site.

Members of the five families said they were told by the UNRWA that they were excluded from the agency's assistance program because their names were not registered immediately after their house demolition.

"UNRWA offered temporary houses for only 18 from 23 families, whose houses were demolished, while the other five families were left in the cold though they went through the same suffering," Mohamed Hammad Abu Yunis, a member of the harmed families, told IslamOnline.net.

In October, 2004, a UN report accused Israel of severe human rights violations against Palestinians, including "wanton" destruction of infrastructure.

UNRWA is a relief and human development agency, providing education, healthcare, social services and emergency aid to over four million refugees living in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.