Heavy winter rain floods are wreaking havoc in ad hoc encampments for internally displaced Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip, tearing through communities already shattered by over a year of widespread warfare. As this country’s military operations escalate, thousands face survival as their crumbling shelters leak, and their food and other amenities are in short supply.

Winter Storms Worsen Humanitarian Situation

Overnight rains have flooded tents and destroyed unstable shelters in the Gaza Strip, where many families moved to seek shelter after multiple evacuations during the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Flooding the flimsy plastic and cloth structures within several areas made desperate families scramble to find whatever protection possible against the rain. Some dug trenches around their tents, while others set containers on the ground in a desperate attempt to keep their belongings dry.

The rainy season has brought new suffering for Suad Al-Sabea’s family. A mother of six, she presently lives in a damaged classroom in a school in Khan Younis, through which she barely makes ends meet. Heavy rainfall destroyed her flour supplies and damaged an oven from which she makes bread, the only source of her income.

“I used to be afraid of the bombings, but now I’m afraid of the rain,” she said in an interview. “Water ruined my dough, and it was pouring in while I was trying to bake.”

10,000 Tents Damaged, International Aid Needed

According to the Gaza government, Hamas, around 10,000 tents were damaged or destroyed due to the first heavy winter storm; many of them were swept away by the rising sea levels and high waves. Some of the camps along the coasts were also washed away by the sea. Mariam Abu Saqer said she barely saved her daughter from the rising waters as she lived in a tent near the beach.

“Where can we go now? Everywhere we try to go, they tell us there’s no room,” she said, describing her search for safer shelter.

The humanitarian crisis called for the intervention of international powers by the local authorities. The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service has also particularly drawn attention to the need for new tents and caravans, appealing to donors to provide inputs to better safeguard the families turned into refugees from increasing winter conditions. According to a statement given out by the Gaza government, 81 percent of shelters made available for the displaced are no longer habitable.

UN Warns of Escalating Crisis as Israeli Strikes Increase in Their Intensity

The Palestinian refugee agency of the United Nations, UNRWA, on Saturday expressed deep concern about the effect of seasonal rains when it said that nearly half a million people were under the threat of flooding. In a post, UNRWA warned that conditions in Gaza would deteriorate with each storm and every new round of strikes.

Meanwhile, there has been an upsurge in Israeli military attacks on various parts of the Gaza Strip. Yesterday, dozens of airstrikes were seen in Rafah, Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya, and Jabalia, among other areas. According to local medics, more than a dozen Palestinians have been killed in the latest wave of airstrike attacks. Residents received leaflets dropped by Israeli aircraft telling them to leave because attacks were going to continue.

More:Iran Fires Ballistic Missiles at Israel in Retaliation for Hezbollah and Hamas Leader Killings

Conflict Leaves Gaza in Ruins as Displacement Continues

The two-week-old conflict started after militants led by Hamas mounted a deadly cross-border attack on Israel on October 7, 2023; the massacres are said to have left many dead and destroyed the area. As of now, Gaza officials say that more than 44,200 Palestinians have died since this conflict began with nearly the entire population displaced at least once due to the fighting.

The Israeli government has provided legal justifications for the military operations, citing the imperative of removing security threats, but the Palestinian leadership claims that Israel is trying to expel residents permanently to establish a buffer zone in northern Gaza, a matter which Israel firmly rejects.

No end in sight to the hostilities, and heavy rains battering Gaza, the humanitarian situation remains critical. Efforts are underway for international aid in securing it, but the combination of conflict and winter weather pushes thousands to the absolute limit, with thousands of families struggling to find shelter and safety in the relentless cycle of violence and displacement.