Winter in Gaza: Cold and rain increase the risk of refugees

Winter in Gaza: Cold and rain increase the risk of refugees

in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, are facing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have been sold several times by Israeli air strikes in the entire region-the upcoming tough winter. The first strong storm that hit Gaza this winter was felt in all parts of the enclave on Sunday.

emergency accommodation in Deir al-Balah

In an improvised refugee camp near the sea in Deir al-Balah, thousands of families fought for high tides, heavy winds and rains, which damaged their tents from nylon and plastic. Journalists from CNN reported that children ran around barefoot while their parents shoveled in the sand to build a protective barrier against the sea. Before they could make significant progress, the flood washed it away.

"This is pointless!", A man called desperately. "We came here because the sea was our only protection. And now the sea attacks us," said another.

The winter in Gaza: A humanitarian crisis

The wooden posts that supported the tents and were hardly anchored in the ground fluctuated with every gust of wind. The families moved around them in great concern for fear that they could collapse. Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa), warned in a contribution to X that the people in Gaza "need everything but only arrives very little."

"Winter in Gaza means that people not only die through air strikes, diseases or hunger. Winter in Gaza means that even more people die shivering, especially with the weakest, including older people and children," said Lazzarini.

growing need for support

In October, the amount of relief goods that came to Gaza was recorded on the lowest level since the beginning of the conflict. The average temperature in Gaza falls between 10 ° C and 20 ° C in December, whereby January is still colder. The rainy season typically lasts from November to February, with January being the wetest month.

The water that penetrated into some tents in Deir al-Balah, soaked everything inside and left ceilings and carpets in a chaotic, dusty condition. Large plastic foils that served as the floor sank in the wet sand and left nothing between those seeking protection and the wet ground.

The reality of the homeless

"What will keep us warm tonight?" Asked Mohammad Younis as he picked up his wet clothes. "We are like beggars in front of the world and nobody takes care of us. I don't know where to sleep. I'll ultimately sleep in the sea," he cried.

The tarpaulin that the roof of Younis' tent formed has now been torn and lets water penetrate. In another flooded tent, a displaced family was sitting with ten people, while the mother, around Fadi, cooked over a fire. She said that they were driven out of Rafah months ago and were forced to look for refuge on the beach because there was no other place.

defenseless and vulnerable

After a year of the war, which followed the attacks by Hamas on October 7, according to UN, at least 1.9 million people - about 90 % of the population in the Gaza Strip - are sold. Many were driven several times, some up to ten times or more.

The Norwegian Refugee Council reported in a current report that the persistent offensive of Israel offers the Palestinians fewer opportunities for accommodation this year than last year. "This winter, since fewer buildings are, many Palestinians are forced to live in tents and improvised accommodations that offer significantly less protection against cold wind and rain," the report said.

The needy location of the tent residents

By September 2024, more than 200,000 residential units were destroyed in the Gaza Strip or badly damaged, which means that almost 1 million people need "support for winterization". Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have been looking for protection in Al-Mawasi in southern Gaza, which was shown as "humanitarian zone" by the Israeli defense forces (IDF). Many live in tents in an area with limited infrastructure and access to humanitarian aid.

In the past few months, the coastal camp has been repeatedly hit by Israeli air strikes that are directed against Hamas according to the IDF.

a flooded tent camp

When the storm passed on Sunday, the personal objects of the people were scattered on the beach, and some were devoured from the lake. Mohammed Alkhatib, deputy program manager of Medical Aid for Palestinians (Map) in Gaza, said that the suffering of the displaced Palestinians in Gaza had "many faces". Most of the tents and emergency accommodations to which they rely have been used for months and have to be replaced to withstand the hard winter conditions.

"It is beyond the imagination to know that they can hardly survive with the normal weather conditions ... A lack of adequate clothing, blankets and safe heating methods means that families will remain cold and endangered for many months," he added. This fear is plagued by Fadi in Deir al-Balah every day. "We are exposed to a great danger tonight. At any moment, the sea could devour us. We don't know what we will do," she said.

a helpless existence in the refugee camps

In northern Gaza, the Israeli military carries out a large -scale operation that goes to its second month. The bombing has sold up to 130,000 Palestinians since October 6, and the need for help is acute. Many were looking for refuge in the Yarmouk Sports Stadium in Gaza City, where dilapidated tents made of white fabric on Sunday after one evening with heavy rain.

As in the lake -side protection, small children stood barefoot on the wet asphalt or waded by puddles, while their parents tried to repair the damaged tents. Sami Salehi reported that he had fled "suffering, air strikes, attacks and death" in the north and was looking for protection in Gaza City. But the water had flooded his tent and he said that he had no fuel or wood to make a fire. While he picked up his wet blanket and soaked mattress, he wondered how he and his 14 children would spend this night.

"This tent is made of fabric, so the water is distributed everywhere when it penetrates. And we are in a low area, so the water will come, regardless of whether the roof protects us or not," he explained. After an injury to an Israeli air raid, Salehi said that he thought he died, but was surprised to see that God had saved his life. "I wish I had died. Death is more honorable than this life."