GAZA, (PIC)
Across the length and breadth of the Gaza Strip, from food distribution points to water filling stations and basic services, the scene of long queues recurs as if it were a law imposed on the daily life of the Strip’s residents, as queues are no longer just a means to access a rare commodity, but have become part of a lifestyle that does not end with every dawn.
Since the outbreak of the Israeli aggression and the tightening of the siege, families have been crowding in long queues for hours, hoping to obtain basic needs.
Queues with diverse goals
Abu al-Baraa, a father of five children, displaced from Jabaliya camp to Nuseirat camp in central Gaza Strip, stands in a long queue waiting for his turn to fill a gallon of fresh water, he says, “We have been standing since the early morning, no one knows when we will get water, the queue has become part of our daily routine.”
In another queue, the PIC correspondent met with the Arabic language teacher Abu Musab, who was standing in a long queue that extended for more than 200 meters in front of a food aid distribution center belonging to the World Food Program in the middle of Nuseirat camp.
Abu Musab says, “The queue and waiting in it has become the secret word to obtain anything in the Gaza Strip during the war and until now, as you cannot obtain anything without standing in long queues, which are sometimes crowded and where waiting extends for long hours.”
In a corner slightly away from the crowded queue sits the elderly man Abu Hamada, and signs of fatigue and exhaustion appear on him, and when the PIC correspondent asked him about his presence and stay despite not standing in the queue, he said that he is forced to attend but he cannot stand all this long time in the queue, so he brings one of his sons to stand instead of him, and when he approaches reaching the delivery point, he stands in his place to receive the food parcel.
In another queue designated for obtaining a bundle of bread, the young man in his twenties, Muhammad, tells the PIC correspondent, “We stand for hours to eat, and we stand for hours so we can drink, this is not just waiting, this is our life now.”
Harsh psychological and social effects
Long waiting leaves a clear psychological impact, as the constant pressure, the anxiety of not obtaining basic needs, and the delay of work and studies are all factors that pressure individuals and families.
Psychological experts indicate that this repeated experience may create a state of general frustration and the collapse of the sense of daily security, which affects the social and psychological state of children and adults alike.
A number of specialists in psychology believe that long waiting, especially in contexts of pressure and uncertainty such as queues to obtain basic goods, does not only affect the body, but leaves deep marks on mental health.
The professor of psychology at the University of California and head of the stress and waiting research team, Kate Sweeny, confirms that waiting in a state of uncertainty raises levels of stress and anxiety, because the brain tries to predict the unknown and deals with it as a psychological and health threat, and this type of pressure is known as anticipatory anxiety, where the state of “I do not know when the waiting will end” itself becomes a source of tension within the nervous system.
From a broader scientific perspective, the professor and expert in the psychology of queues and waiting management, David Maister, indicates that the most psychologically influential part is not the length of the waiting itself, but not knowing when it will end, as that makes the person feel helpless and lacking control, leading to high levels of anxiety and frustration over time.
The doctor specializing in anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorders, Gordon Asmundson, believes that staying for long periods in a state of tension where the person waits to obtain basic needs can resemble a chronic anxiety reaction, where the brain learns to link waiting with the security situation and danger, which increases the chances of developing chronic anxiety and stress disorders among the population.
These scientific opinions confirm that long waiting in queues is not just a physical burden, but constitutes an increasing psychological pressure, linked to increased stress, anxiety, and the sense of losing control over daily life, which is clearly evident in the Gaza Strip where queues have become an integral part of the residents’ lives.
In conclusion, queues cannot be interpreted as a passing phenomenon in the Gaza Strip, rather they are a clear reflection of a multi-dimensional humanitarian crisis, in which politics and restrictions on the crossings overlap with daily living challenges, making every queue a test of steadfastness, and every hour of waiting a clear message about the depth of the crisis in life.
