Fatshimetrie – Lamentations in the Holy Land: Gaza Palestinians Face Winter Storms
In the heart of the Gaza Strip, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, repeatedly displaced by Israeli bombardments, now find themselves facing a new threat: the impetuous vagaries of winter.
Last Sunday, the first winter storm to hit Gaza this year raged in every corner of the enclave.
In a makeshift camp near the sea in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, thousands of families struggled with rising tides, strong winds and rains that damaged their nylon and plastic tents.
Fatshimetrie journalists saw children walking barefoot as their parents dug into the sand to build a protective barrier against the sea. Unfortunately, before they could even move forward, the tide swept everything away.
“It’s useless!” one man shouted.
“We came here because the sea was our only protection. And now the sea is attacking us,” another said.
The wooden poles supporting the tents, barely anchored in the ground, wobbled with every gust of wind. Families moved around them in anguish, fearing they would collapse.
The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned in a blog post on X that the people of Gaza “need everything, but very little reaches us.”
“Winter in Gaza means that people will not die only from airstrikes, disease or hunger. Winter in Gaza means that more people will die from the cold, especially among the most vulnerable, including the elderly and children,” Philippe Lazzarini said.
In October, the amount of aid entering Gaza reached its lowest level since the start of the war in the enclave, according to data compiled by the United Nations.
COGAT, the Israeli agency that approves aid shipments to Gaza, said it was working with the international community, including by “facilitating the entry of winter supplies and relief equipment, such as heaters, warm clothing, tents and blankets.”
However, UNRWA says the aid is not enough and said Israel has blocked virtually all UN efforts to deliver aid to northern Gaza in recent weeks.
The average temperature in Gaza falls between 10°C and 20°C in December, with a slight drop in January. The rainy season generally runs from November to February, with January being the wettest month.
Water seeping into some tents in Deir al-Balah has soaked everything inside, leaving blankets and rugs in a tangle of dust. The large plastic tarps that served as floors have sunk into the wet sand, leaving nothing between the residents and the bare ground..
“How will we warm ourselves tonight?” Mohammad Younis wondered as he picked up his wet clothes.
“We are like mend