Rainstorms uproot Gaza tents, leave children 'freezing and hungry'
Heavy rain floods 100 tents, doubling misery for displaced Palestinians struggling to survive under Israeli siege
Rainstorms uprooted and flooded scores of displacement tents in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, worsening the already deteriorating living conditions for many Palestinians as a suffocating Israeli siege continues to bar the entry of makeshift shelters.
At least 100 tents were extensively damaged from the heavy rain overnight in Khan Younis, according to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa.
"The situation is very difficult," said Saed Lasta, a north Gaza resident who has been displaced over six times since the Israeli war on Gaza began in October last year.
"These tents can't withstand the heat during summer, nor can they withstand the cold during winter, they do not protect from the rain," Lasta told Middle East Eye.
"Meanwhile, the strong winds can even pull apart the most durable tents," he added, noting that these conditions put children and the elderly at further risk amid the difficulties of war and displacement.
"We send a message to the world to look at us with mercy, and just end this genocidal war and allow each person to go back to their home and feel comfortable in their are because we have suffered."
The Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza, a search-and-rescue group, said they received hundreds of distressed calls from displaced Palestinians asking for help to save their children amid the flooding of tents and shelters.
'We can withstand the cold, but for children, it's incredibly difficult'
- Ahmed Abu Mustafa, displaced Palestinian
"We appeal to people of conscience to rush to save these families and help them move to suitable shelters that protect them from rainwater, especially the displaced in the camps in central Gaza City, Mawasi, Khan Yunis, Rafah and western Deir al-Balah," the civil defence said in an a statement.
According to the Palestinian Government Communication Center, the majority of the 1.9 million displaced in Gaza living in shelters face "life-threatening conditions due to extreme cold and heavy rain".
"To date, hypothermia has tragically claimed the lives of six newborns and a physician," the media office said in its latest situation report.
Worn out tents
The effects of the harsh weather conditions on Palestinians in Gaza have been exacerbated by the lack of humanitarian aid, forced displacement and increasing food insecurity.
Since the start of the war, Israel has imposed a siege on Gaza, preventing the necessary amounts of food, water, electricity, medicine and tents.
Unrwa's commissioner-general, Philippe Lazzarini, warned that infants in Gaza are dying as a result of the cold weather and lack of shelter and basic necessities, such as blankets, mattresses and other winter supplies.
"CeasefireNow + An immediate flow of much needed basic supplies including for #WINTER," Lazzarini said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In another post, Lazzarini noted that at least 745 people were killed in Unrwa-led shelters and 2,200 were wounded since the war began.
He urged the immediate facilitation of humanitarian access into the enclave, adding that Israel must lift "the siege on Gaza to bring in much needed humanitarian supplies including for winter".
Ahmed Abu Mustafa, a Palestinian man who has been displaced since the war started on 7 October 2023, said that the tents, made primarily of nylon, were damaged by the scorching heat during summer, making them less durable for winter and floods.
"When we fled our homes, we didn't take anything with us thinking that it will only be a few days and we would return," Abu Mustafa told MEE.
"We have no clothes, even for the kids. Maybe it's easier on us adults because we can withstand the cold, but for children, it's incredibly difficult."
Talking about preparations for this winter, Abu Mustafa said that they have "nothing but God during this period," adding that he hoped the coming year would bring better times and an end to the war.
Muhammad Abu Masood, who has been living in a displacement tent for over a year, told MEE that their shelters were "nothing more than plastic bags."
"The rain enters [the tents] from every direction," said Abu Masood, adding that they are in need of better and more durable tents to protect them from the freezing temperatures.
"Let the aid enter, bring in more tents, and stop this war as soon as possible because the cold and winter is exacerbating the population's conditions and need for basic necessities."
'Freezing and hungry'
Meanwhile, a severe Israeli-made hunger crisis makes matters worse for the displaced families.
Figures from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classication (IPC) show that the Gaza Strip's entire population, around 2.2 million people, is undergoing extreme levels of acute food insecurity.
'[The children] are freezing... and hungry'
- Reneen Gossam Abu Assi, displaced Palestinian girl
Over 1.1 million people are at risk of facing catastrophic conditions classified under the IPC Phase 5, considered the most severe level of food insecurity.
Reneen Gossam Abu Assi, a 16-year-old displaced girl, says she doesn't know how her young siblings can survive these conditions.
"They are freezing... and hungry, and on top of that [facing] war and starvation... this is unfair," Abu Assi told MEE.
Her siblings spent the night suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting amid the rain, she added.
"As grownups we can endure this, but what about the children, what do we tell them?"
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/rainstorms-uproot-gaza-tents-leave-children-freezing-hungry
posted by Satish Sharma at
14:48
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