The storm has worsened the humanitarian conditions for Palestinians living in tents placed on the rubble of their destroyed homes.
Heavy rain and strong winds have left hundreds of thousands exposed to cold and wet conditions in the Gaza Strip, the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has said.
“Many families remain in makeshift shelters due to widespread destruction,” the UN Agency said in a statement on X on Thursday.
Heavy rain and strong winds in #Gaza have left hundreds of thousands exposed to cold and wet conditions in the past 24 hours.
Many families remain in makeshift shelters due to widespread destruction.
UNRWA continues to be the largest agency on the ground delivering urgent and… pic.twitter.com/iiQH816JN8
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) February 6, 2025
The storm has worsened the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where displaced Palestinians living in makeshift tents are enduring catastrophic conditions.
UNRWA, the largest agency on the ground delivering urgent aid, has been supplying tents, mattresses, blankets, and clothing to displaced people across Gaza, the organization said.
A video released by the agency showed strong winds uprooting makeshift tents made of cloth and nylon, scattering belongings in the Al Mawasi area, northwest of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Urgent Action Needed
Earlier, Hamas spokesperson, Abdel Latif Al-Qanoua, said Palestinians living in tents and shelters had experienced a “harsh and catastrophic” night due to the weather conditions, exacerbating the dire situation caused by the destruction of their homes, the Anadolu news agency reported.
“The catastrophic reality in Gaza due to winter and the weather conditions requires international pressure and urgent action to compel the occupation to implement humanitarian protocols,” Al-Qanoua stated.
The war may have ended, but the suffering continues. These images capture the hardships faced by displaced Palestinians currently living in tents during the ongoing storm in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/1VhY4jTcs2
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) February 7, 2025
According to an Anadolu reporter in the enclave, the overnight rain flooded tents and shelters in both northern and southern Gaza.
Situation Worsened
The storm has worsened the humanitarian conditions for Palestinians living in tents placed on the rubble of their destroyed homes.
The displaced are seeking shelter in makeshift tents in various areas of Gaza, including Al Mawasi and among the ruins of their homes.
Last night, displaced families across Gaza endured a terrible night under a a harsh storm as water flooded their tents & shelters & buildings collapsed pic.twitter.com/BOpFqm9BFz
— Sarah Wilkinson (@swilkinsonbc) February 6, 2025
Many displaced Palestinians are also taking refuge on roads, in sports fields, public squares and schools, without any means of protection against the cold and storms.
88% of Infrastructure Damaged
According to the Gaza media office, the Israeli army has destroyed nearly 88 percent of Gaza’s infrastructure over the course of its genocidal war, including homes, vital facilities and public services.
The office also said on Wednesday that only four percent of the tents required by Palestinians have entered the enclave since the start of the ceasefire agreement on January 9.
Israel ‘Deliberately Delaying and Obstructing’ Entry of Aid into Gaza – Hamas
According to the Quds News Network, the office said Israel has been delaying the entry of shelter materials and fuel into Gaza despite the humanitarian protocol under the ceasefire agreement.
Israel was supposed to allow the entry of 60,000 caravans and 200,000 tents into Gaza to accommodate displaced Palestinians whose homes and residential areas were destroyed during the genocidal war, the report added.
More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023 and over 100,000 injured.
(Anadolu, PC)
