Palestinians suffer from flooded tents and debris as cold and rain hit Gaza | Israeli-Palestinian conflict News

Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza, surrounded by tents and debris, are suffering from new winter rains after two years of Israeli bombardment that destroyed much of the strip.

A polar depression accompanied by heavy rains and strong winds swept across the Gaza Strip on Saturday. This is the third polar depression to affect the Palestinian territory this winter, and a fourth depression is expected to hit the region starting Monday, meteorologist Laith al-Allami told Anadolu news agency.

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Many families have been living in tents since late 2023, during most of Israel’s genocidal war against Gaza.

The enclave faces imminent freezing temperatures, rain and strong winds, as authorities warn that downpours could intensify and turn into a full-blown storm.

Mohammed Maslah, a displaced Palestinian currently in Gaza City, told Al Jazeera in his sturdy tent that he had no choice but to stay there.

“I couldn’t find anywhere to live in Gaza except the Gaza port,” he told Al Jazeera. “I have to stay here because my house is under Israeli control. After just a few hours of rain, we were soaked.”

In Deir al-Balah, Shaima Wadi, a mother of four displaced from Jabaliya in the north, spoke to The Associated Press. “We have been living in this tent for two years. Every time it rains and the tent collapses on our heads, we try to put in new pieces of wood,” she said. “With the cost of everything and without any income, we can barely afford to buy clothes for our children or mattresses for them to sleep on. »

Heavy rain earlier this month Tents and makeshift shelters were flooded across Gaza, where most buildings were destroyed or damaged by Israeli attacks.

So far in December, at least 15 people, including three babies, have died of hypothermia following rains and plunging temperatures, and several buildings have collapsed, according to Gaza authorities. Aid organizations have called on Israel to allow more shelters and other humanitarian aid into the territory.

Ibrahim Abu al-Reesh, head of Civil Defense field operations in the Gaza port area, said his teams responded to various distress calls as weather conditions became more difficult in places where displaced people were setting up flimsy tents.

“We worked hard to cover some of these damaged tents with plastic sheeting after they were flooded by rainwater,” he told Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim Al Khalili, reporting from Gaza City, said winter adds to the suffering of tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians who lack safe shelter.

“The same misery repeats itself as each rain fills the neighborhoods with muddy water,” he said.

Ceasefire talks

As Palestinians face dire conditions in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit Washington in the coming days as negotiators and others discuss the second stage of the ceasefire that took effect on October 10.

Progress in the peace process has been slow. Challenges for the second phase of the ceasefire include the deployment of an international stabilization force, a technocratic governing body for Gaza, the Hamas disarmament plan and the continued withdrawal of Israeli troops from the territory.

So far, the agreement has partially held despite Israel’s repeated violations.

Since the ceasefire took effect, more than 414 Palestinians have been killed and 1,142 injured, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

It also said the bodies of 679 people had been removed from the rubble during the same period, with the truce making it safer to search for the remains of those killed earlier.

The ministry said Saturday that 29 bodies, including 25 found under the rubble, had been transported to local hospitals in the past 48 hours.

The total Palestinian death toll from the Israeli war stands at at least 71,266, the ministry said, with another 171,219 injured.