GAZA, (PIC)
A new winter looms over the tents of the displaced, as the Israeli war of extermination on Gaza marks its first year with no signs of ending soon. Amid warnings of a rainy season that could flood tents scorched by the blazing summer sun, high tides paint a grim picture of the humanitarian situation awaiting the displaced, trapped in a narrow strip that the occupation army claims is a safe humanitarian zone.
This winter will be harsh, devoid of the summer pleasures once enjoyed by the residents. Everything has changed since October 7, 2023; the weather, once a golden opportunity for swimming and recreation, has become a burden for the displaced, turning their tents into searing ovens infested with insects and rodents, making sleep and rest a distant dream, compounded by the ongoing bombardment and massacres by the Israeli forces.
Saeed Luqan, from Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, lost his home in the war. Like thousands of others from his city, he resides in a tent in the Mawasi area to the west, spending most of his nights contemplating what awaits them with the arrival of winter in just a few months. Saeed says, “We live in a tattered tent torn apart by the summer heat, suffering from humidity, insects, rodents, and sand. On top of all this, we are expected to survive the coming winter here; I don’t know how.”
Saeed, 55, claps one hand against the other as he gazes at the tents lining the beach of Khan Yunis, wondering where they will go if the war does not end before winter, and how difficult it will be to return home with the ongoing artillery shelling in eastern Khan Yunis.
He adds that putting up a tent over the ruins of his destroyed home is much easier than spending the winter by the sea, which will bring far greater pain to children and the elderly than just having water flood the tents that have already suffered from the sun’s rays.
Thousands of displaced persons on the beaches of Deir al-Balah and Khan Yunis were taken by surprise by a significant rise in sea waves, as the high tide reached far eastward, striking the tents and flooding them. A few days ago, wave heights reached about two meters, accompanied by a strong tide that pushed water directly toward the tents set up along the beachfront, resulting in their flooding.
Displaced persons and volunteers busied themselves moving their belongings eastward, while others hurried to erect sand barriers in front of their tents in an attempt to prevent the waves from reaching them.
The Government Media Office (GMO) in Gaza has issued an urgent humanitarian appeal to save two million displaced persons in the region before winter arrives and the tents deteriorate. It warned of a real humanitarian catastrophe facing the displaced.
According to data released, 100,000 of the 135,000 tents for the displaced have become unfit for use due to wear and tear. These tents, made of wood, nylon, and fabric, have deteriorated under the sun’s heat and the climatic conditions in Gaza, rendering them completely unusable after 11 continuous months of displacement and the accompanying inhumane conditions.
The GMO confirms that the Israeli occupation army has prevented the entry of 250,000 tents into Gaza amidst this dire reality.
Ismail Harb, a displaced person from Gaza City, said that for the first time in over five months of living by the sea, such high tides have occurred. He explained that the sand barriers they had previously erected were destroyed by the waves, allowing seawater to easily reach the tents.
Describing winter as a nightmare awaiting those living on the beach, he mentions that he and his family were asleep when the seawater flooded their tent, soaking their bedding and belongings, and damaging a phone that was charging on a dry battery.
Engineer Nasser Abu al-Atah fears that warnings issued by the Deir al-Balah municipality may come true. The emergency committee has urged all displaced persons living near Wadi al-Salqa to evacuate their tents as quickly as possible due to the danger posed by residing in this area, especially with the approaching winter and the threats it brings from water flow.
Abu al-Atah questions where he will go with his children after the occupation army destroyed his apartment in the al-Qastal neighborhood of eastern Deir al-Balah. He says, “Choosing a place to take refuge and setting up a tent is not a luxury in a crowded city, it’s a struggle for families and children, and a drain on the meager resources we have.”
Due to a lack of options, he has decided to stay put for now and has not responded to the municipality’s call, hoping the war will end before winter arrives.
Ismail Sarsour, head of the emergency committee in Deir al-Balah municipality, remarks, “It is customary each year for the municipality to warn residents and those living near Wadi al-Salqa about the flooding that occurs there and its spread into agricultural lands and homes.”
Sarsour acknowledges that options for the displaced are nearly nonexistent, “but our duty compels us to issue this warning to alert residents, the displaced, and the world about what might happen, given that there have been fatalities in previous years due to water flow.”
He notes that municipal teams have been monitoring the valley area over the past few days but have not observed a decrease in the number of displaced persons from the area as needed.
A rainy low-pressure system is expected to hit Gaza next week, prompting the Civil Defense to call on the displaced to reinforce their shelters to mitigate the effects.
The Civil Defense conveyed forecasts from meteorological services predicting rainfall in the middle of next week, urging those in tents, shelters, and damaged homes to fortify their accommodations to minimize water intrusion.
The Civil Defense states that the confinement of displaced citizens in what the Israeli occupation army calls the humanitarian area, which accounts for only 11% of Gaza, exacerbates their suffering and increases the spread of diseases and epidemics, especially among children and the elderly, due to the nature of the soil and the destruction of infrastructure and drainage systems, threatening their lives and safety.
With American support, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, resulting in over 136,000 Palestinian casualties, mostly children and women, and more than 10,000 missing persons, amid massive destruction and a deadly famine.
