Gaza: In the makeshift refugee camps along the southern Gaza Strip, winter has arrived as a merciless guest, inflicting unbearable hardship on displaced families.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA, the fragile tents, hastily erected amidst the windswept dunes of Rafah and Khan Younis, are no match for the biting cold and the relentless waves of rain that are now sweeping across the coastal region. As the sea encroaches upon their temporary shelters, displaced families face yet another brutal test of survival.
Last night, as rain lashed against the tents, the cries of the displaced filled the air, waking them from their sleep as water poured into their tents without warning, an uninvited guest in the dead of night. For many, like Ahmed Khalifa, a 46-year-old father of eight, the storm was more than just an inconvenience. Khalifa sat in his tent, his face etched with concern as he watched his children tremble in the cold, their clothes soaked through by the pouring rain. With no dry c
lothes to change into, and no blankets to protect them, they huddled together for warmth.
Khalifa recounted, ‘We were asleep, and then at midnight, the rain started coming in from all sides of the tent. I knew the tent wasn’t strong enough to withstand this much rain, but I don’t have the means to reinforce it.’ This was the third time that week Khalifa had found himself in this situation, unable to repair his tent or afford a new one. After a long and bitter night, Khalifa spent the morning building sand barriers around his tent, hoping to stop the incoming flood. His wife, meanwhile, waited for the sun to rise so she could dry their children’s wet clothes and furniture, hoping to salvage whatever they could from the downpour.
The situation is particularly dire for those living along the coast, where the rising tide has begun to seep into the tents, as water levels from the sea breach the sandbanks. Mohammad Al-Zamili, a 27-year-old father from Rafah, shared the harrowing experience of nearly losing his so
n to the sea. ‘If it weren’t for God’s mercy, my son would have drowned. The waves pulled him in, but we managed to pull him out in time,’ he said, his voice filled with a mixture of gratitude and fear. Al-Zamili, like many others, struggles daily with the most basic needs. ‘I don’t have enough money to buy bread for my wife and daughter. The prices keep rising, and I haven’t worked in over a year. The war has taken everything-my home, my job, my possessions,’ he explained, highlighting the dire economic conditions that have compounded the challenges faced by displaced families.
Ali Mansour, a 64-year-old father, stood outside his tent early this morning, watching his children scramble to move containers into the middle of their shelter to prevent rainwater from soaking their sleeping mats. His shelter, which houses two families, is little more than a worn-out piece of fabric covered with a layer of nylon. The intense heat of summer had already degraded the material, and now it is struggling to hold up again
st the winter storms. ‘I was hoping to receive a new tarp from the UNRWA, but two weeks ago I was told there weren’t enough supplies,’ Mansour said, his voice tinged with frustration. ‘We can’t keep living like this.’
Local estimates suggest that over 100,000 tents have been destroyed by strong winds and rising sea levels, leaving families in even more precarious conditions. In the past week, the rain and wind have flooded tents, while the lack of resources-such as tarps and nylon sheets-has made it nearly impossible for families to make repairs. The plight of those living along the beach has worsened in recent days, with the waters of the Mediterranean reaching deep into the tents, causing further damage. In some areas, entire families have lost their belongings to the waves, with some even narrowly escaping death as they scrambled to higher ground.
‘We have been calling out for help, but no one listens,’ said Al-Zamili, his face filled with a mixture of despair and exhaustion. ‘We need shelter away from t
he beach. We can’t keep living like this, waiting for the next wave to come and destroy everything.’ The number of displaced persons in Gaza has reached nearly two million since the Israeli aggression began in October 2023, out of a total population of 2.3 million. Many have sought refuge in schools, relatives’ homes, or even in the streets, making do with whatever they can find. The lack of food, clean water, and adequate shelter has led to widespread disease, further exacerbating the crisis.
The ongoing Israeli onslaught on Gaza has claimed over 145,000 lives, most of them women and children, and left more than 10,000 missing. The humanitarian situation is catastrophic, with entire neighborhoods obliterated and essential services non-existent. Despite a resolution from the United Nations Security Council calling for a ceasefire, Israel continues its assaults in Gaza, disregarding the international community’s calls to halt the bloodshed and address the growing humanitarian disaster.