GAZA, (PIC)
“The rain swept away our tents, ruined our clothes and bedding, the cold is killing us, and on top of that, hunger is ravaging us.” With these words, displaced Maysa Radwan describes the excruciatingly harsh reality faced by two million displaced people crammed into areas in central and southern Gaza Strip.
Radwan lives in a worn-out tent that cannot withstand the wind, heavy rains, and rising seawater during winter. She says the conditions she and her neighbors endure are “painful and bleak, while the unjust world remains silent about what is happening to us.”
In November 2023, the 40-year-old Radwan fled her home in Al-Shati Refugee Camp with her family to the Mawasi area in Khan Yunis. She questions the crime her children have committed to live under such conditions, with no sufficient clothing to keep them warm or proper shelter to shield them from the rain. “We adults can’t bear the cold—imagine the children!”
Radwan appeals to the free world to intervene and save thousands of people from the flames of war and the indescribable suffering that worsens by the day. She adds that every rainfall brings additional tragedy due to a severe shortage of food and medicine. “Flour and vegetables are missing from the markets. We barely provide enough to keep the children from starving, and many nights, they cry themselves to sleep from hunger.”
A strangling humanitarian crisis
A severe humanitarian and living crisis grips central and southern Gaza Strip due to Israel’s blockade on aid and goods, compounded by looting and gangs attacking the few trucks allowed through the Kerem Shalom crossing. Meanwhile, the Rafah crossing has remained closed for over six months, deepening the crisis and sparking signs of a genuine famine as essential supplies vanish from markets.
No life here
The Palestinian territories are experiencing a cold front with rain and winds, and meteorological authorities have warned of sharp temperature drops and strong winds expected to persist for several days.
Displaced people’s tents have suffered extensive damage from the rain, with many flooding. Videos and images shared by displaced persons and activists show the dire conditions children, women, and the elderly endure as rainwater and seawater seep into tents.
Although winter officially begins in Gaza on December 21, early signs have sparked widespread fear among hundreds of thousands of displaced people living in flimsy tents that offer no protection against the summer heat or winter cold.
Mouhammed Al-Baz, a father of five living in a tent in the Al-Masha’ala area in Deir al-Balah, says the rain has worsened his family’s plight as they lack even a mat to cover the tent’s floor.
He explains that the summer heat has torn the fabric of their tent, allowing rainwater to seep into their belongings. “Life here is extremely harsh—no peace, no rest, just constant fear and bombardment.”
Hareb Abu Odeh, displaced from Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza to the central region, shares Al-Baz and Radwan’s suffering, expressing doubt about his tent’s ability to withstand the winds. “This tent won’t last… The storm has just started, and we don’t know what to do.”
He adds, “We try to secure the tent, but we have no resources. We haven’t received any aid to reinforce the tents. When the wind gets strong, each of us holds a corner of the tent to keep it from flying away.”
Calls for urgent intervention
Mohammed Al-Midna, the Director of Public Relations and Media for Gaza’s Civil Defense, states that recent rainfall has caused extensive damage to thousands of tents, flooding them and ruining their contents. He warns, “The current situation does not bode well as we approach the rainy season.”
Al-Midna fears that tents in low-lying areas may be swept away by floods if the rains persist, noting that “displaced tents barely withstood light rain.” He warns of an impending humanitarian disaster without urgent intervention.
He urges displaced people in tents and shelters to take preventative measures as much as possible, such as securing tents and building sand barriers to prevent flooding.
Amid deteriorating conditions and worsening weather, Al-Midna calls on the international community and the United Nations to intervene immediately to save the displaced, urging the provision of alternative shelters or caravans to help mitigate the harm winter storms could inflict.
Hunger and cold
UNRWA reports that 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced since the start of Israel’s extermination war, representing approximately 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million. According to UNRWA, some individuals in Gaza have been displaced ten or more times since October 7, 2023.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency warns that over two million displaced Gazans are besieged by hunger, thirst, and disease, adding that obtaining food has become nearly impossible for families in the enclave.
UNRWA highlights that the limited flour and foodstuffs Israel allows through crossings meet only 6% of the population’s needs, exacerbating Gaza’s severe crisis due to the Israeli blockade. This has made accessing bread nearly impossible as most bakeries in southern Gaza remain closed.
The UN agency describes the conditions in displacement camps and shelters as “tragic, with hunger and cold compounding the inability of international organizations to meet the needs of the displaced due to the severe shortage of food supplies.”
UNRWA has called for fully opening crossings and allowing essential supplies into Gaza to curb the famine that has worsened malnutrition and various diseases.
The food crisis is compounded by the absence of flour, which has driven prices up. A 25-kilogram sack of flour that cost 20 shekels a month and a half ago now costs between 100 and 150 shekels. People wait in long queues at bakeries for hours to obtain a loaf of bread or resort to alternatives like rice, lentils, and pasta.
The shortage of flour coincides with skyrocketing vegetable prices. A kilogram of onions or tomatoes now costs between 50 and 60 shekels, while cucumbers and eggplants cost 20 shekels per kilogram, and potatoes are unavailable in the markets. Similarly, the prices of winter clothing have soared to levels unseen in Gaza, further burdening people in need of warmth during the cold season.
Israel continues its war of extermination against Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023, causing horrific massacres and war crimes that have claimed thousands of lives, ignoring UN Security Council resolutions to cease hostilities and International Court of Justice orders to prevent genocide and improve Gaza’s catastrophic humanitarian situation.
