Doaa
Albaz
The
first heavy rainfall of winter arrived in Gaza this week, flooding tent
encampments across the besieged Strip. With approximately 90 percent of the
enclave’s population having been displaced from their homes, often several
times, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are living in makeshift tents that
are ill-equipped to withstand the elements. Gaza’s Government Media Office
estimates that around 10,000 tents were either washed away or damaged due to
this week’s storm.
Seawater damages the tents of displaced people on the beach in Khan
Younis, southern Gaza Strip, November 25, 2024. (Doaa
Albaz/Activestills)
One
of the areas worst hit was a displacement camp that has sprung up along the
beach in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. Many tents here were completely washed
away by the rising tide, leaving residents with no shelter whatsoever. Civil
defense authorities issued urgent warnings to remaining residents to evacuate
due to fears that additional strong winds and storms could destroy what little
is left.
For
children living in these tents, the arrival of winter exacerbates their
suffering and leaves them extremely vulnerable to respiratory infections and
hypothermia. The damage to their flimsy shelters further exposes them to the
severe cold and ongoing impacts of Israel’s onslaught, as their families
struggle to survive another harsh winter.
Another
camp nearby, Nahr Al-Bared, was also hit badly by the storm. “I live with my
family in a tent made of blankets,” Falastine Hamed Tafesh, a resident of that
camp, told +972 Magazine. “I fixed it a little while ago after it tore apart,
but rainwater was still seeping in. Since Monday, the rain has flooded our
tent, soaking all of our clothes.
“I
have no way of keeping my children warm,” she continued. “I don’t know how I
can provide clothes for them. My two daughters are sick, and I’m exhausted from
repeatedly visiting hospitals to no avail. How can we live in a torn tent that
neither protects us from the cold nor the rain? This is the third time my
husband has asked ‘Where will we go?’ and I have no answer.”
Falastine
Hamed Tafesh holds one of her daughters in her arms at the entrance to
her tent on the coast of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, November 24,
2024. (Doaa Albaz/Activestills)
Seawater damages the tents of displaced people on the beach in Khan
Younis, southern Gaza Strip, November 25, 2024. (Doaa
Albaz/Activestills) 
Seawater damages the tents of displaced people on the beach in Khan
Younis, southern Gaza Strip, November 25, 2024. (Doaa
Albaz/Activestills)
Displaced Palestinians try to re-erect their tent after it was damaged
by a storm, Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, November 25, 2024. (Doaa
Albaz/Activestills)
A Palestinian child digs a hole next to his tent to try to prevent
seawater from entering, Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, November 25,
2024. (Doaa Albaz/Activestills)
Displaced Palestinians try to repair their tent after it was damaged by a
storm, Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, November 25, 2024. (Doaa
Albaz/Activestills)
A tent damaged by seawater on the beach of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, November 25, 2024. (Doaa Albaz/Activestills)
A Palestinian child stands beside her damaged tent, Khan Younis,
southern Gaza Strip, November 25, 2024. (Doaa Albaz/Activestills)
Rainwater falls on the tents of displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis,
southern Gaza Strip, November 24, 2024. (Doaa Albaz/Activestills)
A view of a displacement camp in the Al-Mawasi area adjacent to Khan
Younis, southern Gaza Strip, November 24, 2024. (Doaa
Albaz/Activestills)
No comments:
Post a Comment