Peace and potato chips: Dreams big and small as 2024 approaches in Gaza | Israel-Palestine conflict

Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip – It is bitterly cold, and people are trying to build adequate shelter to protect themselves in a new refugee camp set up in Deir el-Balah to cope with the overwhelming numbers of people fleeing in search of safety.

In the camp, which is close to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, children run from tent to tent, borrowing items, carrying messages, or looking for someone to play with because that’s what children do.

Al Jazeera spoke to five Palestinians in the camp about their hopes and fears for 2024 as the new year approaches amid Israel’s devastating war on Gaza.