Daijiworld Media Network - Gaza City
Gaza City, Dec 28: Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are battling renewed misery as heavy winter rains and strong winds lash the war-ravaged enclave, where large parts have been reduced to rubble after more than two years of Israeli bombardment.
A polar low-pressure system swept across Gaza on Saturday, bringing intense rainfall and gusty winds. Meteorologist Laith al-Allami told Anadolu news agency that it was the third such weather system to hit the territory this winter, with another low-pressure system expected from Monday.
Many Palestinian families have been living in fragile tents since late 2023, having lost their homes during Israel’s military campaign. With freezing temperatures and storms looming, local authorities have warned that the rainfall could intensify further.
Mohammed Maslah, a displaced Palestinian now sheltering in Gaza City, said he had no alternative but to remain in a makeshift tent. “I couldn’t find anywhere else to live in Gaza except near the port. My home is under Israeli control. After just a few hours of rain, we were completely soaked,” he told Al Jazeera.
In Deir al-Balah, Shaima Wadi, a mother of four displaced from Jabaliya in northern Gaza, said her family has been living in a tent for two years. “Every time it rains and the tent collapses on us, we try to rebuild it with bits of wood. Everything is expensive, we have no income, and we can barely afford clothes or mattresses for our children,” she told the Associated Press.
Earlier this month, heavy rains flooded tents and makeshift shelters across Gaza, where most buildings have been destroyed or damaged. According to Gaza authorities, at least 15 people, including three infants, have died from hypothermia in December alone, while several structures collapsed amid severe weather.
Aid agencies have urged Israel to allow increased entry of shelters and humanitarian assistance into the besieged territory. Ibrahim Abu al-Reesh, head of field operations for the Civil Defence in the Gaza Port area, said rescue teams responded to multiple distress calls as conditions worsened. “We worked to cover flooded and damaged tents with plastic sheets,” he told Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera correspondent Ibrahim Al Khalili said winter has compounded the suffering of displaced families. “With every rainfall, neighbourhoods are once again submerged in muddy water, repeating the same misery,” he reported from Gaza City.
Meanwhile, ceasefire talks continue amid the humanitarian crisis. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit Washington in the coming days as discussions focus on the second phase of the ceasefire that took effect on October 10. Progress has been slow, with key issues including the deployment of an international stabilisation force, formation of a technocratic governing body in Gaza, proposed disarmament of Hamas and further Israeli troop withdrawals.
Despite the truce, Gaza’s Ministry of Health said more than 414 Palestinians have been killed and 1,142 wounded since the ceasefire began. The bodies of 679 people were also recovered from the rubble during this period. Over the past 48 hours alone, 29 bodies, including 25 retrieved from debris, were brought to hospitals.
The overall death toll from Israel’s war on Gaza has risen to at least 71,266, with 171,219 people wounded, the ministry added.