DaysofPal – Heavy rain has swept through Gaza’s makeshift settlements south of Khan Younis, flooding tents and leaving tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians exposed to cold, mud, and deteriorating conditions, Palestinian Civil Defence crews reported.
“Our teams evacuated several displaced families after their tents were also flooded,” the Civil Defence said, describing harrowing scenes of people wading through mud with what little they still own.
Responders helped families in the vicinity of Bir 22 resecure damaged tent pegs, as severe weather tore through already fragile settlements.
Winter has settled over a devastated enclave where tens of thousands live under plastic sheets, the remnants of neighborhoods destroyed by months of Israeli bombardment.
The suffering of families already on the verge of collapse has been exacerbated by cold winds and heavy rain, which have transformed crowded campgrounds into damp, dangerous areas.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned that children are particularly vulnerable to disease under these conditions. Thousands of families live in tents ill-equipped to withstand heavy rains and bitter cold, while essential humanitarian aid prepared outside Gaza remains blocked, awaiting Israeli approval.
Palestinian refugees continue to lack basic necessities inside their shelters, as Israeli restrictions prevent the entry of mobile homes and other essential supplies. The situation is particularly dire in coastal Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis, which hosts the largest concentration of displaced people.
According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, approximately 93% of the tents sheltering families were damaged by the storm, leaving thousands more effectively homeless and exposing the human toll of prolonged displacement in a besieged territory.
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