Sunrise and the Daily Task of Collecting Water in Gaza City
GAZA CITY, PALESTINE — OCTOBER 13, 2026
The morning begins beside the water. Inside Gaza City’s seaport, two Palestinian children stand silhouetted against the sunrise as light appears above the buildings lining the coastline. Along the waterfront, makeshift shelters occupy the space between the city and the sea.
Nearby, the photographs follow another part of the morning: collecting and carrying water. Adults and children move through narrow passages between shelters with plastic bottles, buckets and jerrycans. A girl carries a container past tarpaulin walls. Women transport several containers at once, while people gather near a truck with vessels arranged on the wet ground.
In one photograph, a young boy grips a large water container with both hands. In another, children stand beside rows of jerrycans as adults sit outside the shelters. These scenes show the physical work involved in moving water from a collection point to the places where people are living.
The shelters themselves form an important part of the story. Sheets of tarpaulin are stretched over improvised frames and secured with ropes. Paths serve as shared spaces for walking, waiting and carrying supplies. A person’s shadow falls across a shelter wall, adding a quieter moment to the sequence.
Photographed in a single morning, Mohammed M. Skaik’s series moves between the waterfront and the practical routines unfolding among the tents. The images bring attention to the people behind those routines: children watching the sunrise, women carrying containers and families sharing the spaces around their shelters.
Rather than a single dramatic event, the story follows the repetition of everyday tasks, showing how a morning in Gaza unfolds through work, waiting and moments of stillness.
