A Guardian investigation following five ordinary Palestinians through a single day reveals the exhausting, invisible labour of survival in Gaza that rarely makes international headlines. Simple acts — boiling water for tea, finding fuel to cook a meal, accessing education — require elaborate workarounds under an Israeli blockade that controls not only food and medicine but also skateboards, musical instruments, wedding dresses, and spices, classifying them as potential "dual use" items. Despite the relentless deprivation, those documented — including a pregnant woman preparing a crib in a tent above the rubble where her children were killed, a teacher uploading lectures via WhatsApp, and a 12-year-old who recalls watching boys shot beside him while sprinting for flour — continue finding small ways to preserve their humanity amid the siege.