DaysofPal- Heavy overnight rain on Friday inundated dozens of tents and makeshift shelters housing displaced families in Gaza City, deepening an already dire humanitarian crisis as winter weather intensifies.
According to residents and emergency teams, water poured into the flimsy camps before dawn, soaking bedding, destroying meager belongings, and leaving families, many of them children and the elderly, standing in cold mud with nowhere else to go.
The worsening conditions have prompted urgent warnings from civil defense officials. Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense, said the service received hundreds of distress calls overnight but remains unable to respond effectively.
“We have no capabilities; there is no room for waiting or delaying the distribution of tents to citizens in Gaza. Every second here puts people’s lives at risk.” Basal said.
Basal also cautioned that cracked and damaged homes across the Strip, many already unstable from months of bombardment, are now at heightened risk of collapse under the weight of the storm.
The Civil Defense Directorate urged displaced families, especially those in tents and overcrowded shelters, to take whatever preventive measures they can: securing tents, reinforcing them with sand barriers, and helping one another to reduce risks from flooding and high winds.
Meanwhile, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) issued its own stark alert. In a statement to Alaraby TV, the agency warned that the storm system will have “catastrophic consequences” for the displaced population in Gaza, where nearly two million people continue to face deteriorating humanitarian conditions.
As winter sets in, tens of thousands of families remain in torn, makeshift tents that offer little protection from cold nights or heavy rain.
Blankets, winter clothing, and basic shelter materials are scarce.
Continued Israeli restrictions on the entry of aid, particularly tents and other essential supplies, have left families exposed to the elements with no safe alternatives.
For many in Gaza, the arrival of winter marks a new phase of suffering. With no secure shelter, limited relief materials, and worsening weather, the struggle for survival grows more desperate by the day.
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