Winter has arrived in the Gaza Strip, bringing harsh weather conditions that are further exacerbating the already dire situation faced by the Palestinian population. Nearly 2 million people have been displaced from their homes due to the ongoing conflict with Israel, leaving them without adequate protection from the cold.
Aid workers and residents report a shortage of blankets and warm clothing, as well as limited wood for fires and fragile tents that are quickly becoming worn out. Shadia Aiyada, a mother of eight who was forced to flee her home in Rafah, is struggling to keep her children warm inside their makeshift tent. “We get scared every time we learn from the weather forecast that rainy and windy days are coming up because our tents are lifted with the wind,” she said.
The United Nations has warned of people living in precarious shelters that may not survive the winter. At least 945,000 people need winterization supplies, which have become prohibitively expensive in Gaza. The UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) had to prioritize food aid over other essential items due to Israeli restrictions.
Many families are struggling to cope with the cold, with some resorting to desperate measures such as using paper and cardboard scraps to make fires. Reda Abu Zarada, a displaced mother of three, said she is scared to wake up one day to find one of her children frozen to death. “Rats walk on us at night because we don’t have doors and tents are torn,” she said.
The International Rescue Committee has struggled to bring in essential winter clothing due to bureaucratic hurdles. The Israeli government agency responsible for coordinating aid shipments into Gaza says it has worked with international organizations to prepare the territory, but the ability of Palestinians to prepare for winter is essentially very limited.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/gaza-winter-palestinians-aid-israel-24fe23c8ae2743294c169cff4a1431d3