Nearly all of Gaza’s two million people have been forced to live in makeshift tents in displacement camps as a result of Israel’s more than two-year genocidal conflict.
The prospect of severe winter storms and flooding that could cause even these temporary shelters, which can’t withstand harsh conditions, to vanish adds to their suffering.
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The weather in Gaza has already gotten worse.
According to Hani Mahmoud, a reporter for Al Jazeera from Gaza City, “over the past 24 hours, we’ve seen strong wind, heavy rainfall, and plummeting temperatures here,” causing many of the displacement areas to become pools of muddy water.
“We have areas that have been completely submerged in water, and areas that have been flooded by heavy rain that also mixed with sewage water, making this area very dangerous for people to live in.”
In an effort to protect the few belongings they have left, families have to use only buckets to scoop muddy water out of their tents and hold them down using simple tools like rocks and blocks.
“Tents are completely destroyed,” he said. Our tents are entirely made of fabric. Our kids are ejecting from the water. No clothing to put on is what Assmaa Fayad, a Palestinian who fled Syria, told Al Jazeera.
Tents in a thousand ruined
At least 13, 000 tents have been damaged by the downpours, according to the UNHCR last week.
According to Mahmoud of Al Jazeera, “Many of these displacement sites are pitched in open areas or the remnants of many of the destroyed buildings here in Gaza.”
These buildings have “they’re cracked in the walls… in the ceilings,” according to Mahmoud, which also makes the living conditions in these buildings challenging.
Aid deliveries were supposed to be significantly increased under a United States-brokered ceasefire, which went into effect on October 10 and was violated by Israel hundreds of times. At least 600 trucks a day are scheduled to enter Gaza to meet the needs of the population.
Since the ceasefire, only an average of 145 trucks have entered Gaza, according to the government media office in Gaza.
In a post on social media, the UNHCR stated that “thousands of internally displaced people are finding safe shelter in the Gaza Strip in preparation for the upcoming cold weather.” More supplies for shelter were still required, the statement continued.
According to aid organizations, at least 300,000 mobile homes and tents are required to house displaced people.
More than 79, 000 displaced people reside in 85 UNRWA-run shelters in the Gaza Strip, according to UNRWA.
“Seiden policy”
As the winter gets closer, the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement condemned the lack of supplies.
“The cold and rainy weather has worsened the suffering of our people in Gaza, particularly the internally displaced.” The Zionist [Israeli] siege policy and the prohibition of the entry of basic necessities cause the flooding of the displaced people’s tents, which also contribute to the silence in the world.
The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement also demanded that the world “take immediate action and press the Zionist enemy to open the crossings and permit the entry of aid and essential supplies.”
The Israeli siege has caused the world’s efforts to help the disaster, according to Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem in a message on Telegram.
Source: Aljazeera
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