Palestinians 'drowning' as rain and wind uproot more Gaza tents Submitted by Lubna Masarwa on Mon, 12/29/2025 - 09:29 Unrwa laments the devastating 'man-made' consequences of storms in the war-battered strip A displaced Palestinian toddler walks during winter in Gaza City, 28 December 2025 (Omar al-Qattaa/AFP) Off Heavy rain and strong winds flooded and uprooted tents in the Gaza Strip on Monday, worsening already dire living conditions for Palestinians after two years of Israeli genocide. The Palestinian health ministry reported that two-month-old Arkan Firas Musleh died from the cold on Monday, as harsh winter conditions were exacerbated by Israel’s blockade on supplies of shelters. Since the start of the rainy season earlier this month, at least three children have died from the cold, while 17 others have been killed by buildings collapsing due to storms and strong winds. According to the Shelter Cluster, more than 42,000 tents and makeshift shelters were damaged between 10 and 17 December, affecting nearly a quarter of a million people in the besieged enclave. Amro Akram, a resident of the Gaza Strip currently displaced in Khan Younis, described the harsh conditions. “We are drowning,” he told Middle East Eye after heavy rain on Monday. The 20-year-old said he had been staying in his sister’s tent in recent days because his own was destroyed by the storm earlier this month. That, too, was submerged on Monday. “The sound of children drowning in the rain is unbearable. A person feels powerless to help a child,” he said. “When it rains heavily, all the tents flood. Everyone is lost, not knowing where to shelter their children from the cold.” Seven-year-old Atta Mai drowned after falling in a flooded water well near Gaza City on Saturday, as heavy rains and strong winds battered the besieged territory. The boy was pulled out from the water by rescuers after searching for him for more than six hours. pic.twitter.com/ZnOhCYKfkE — Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) December 28, 2025 Bitter cold and strong winds also pose serious threats. “The wind is so strong it blows the tents away,” Akram said. “The cold at night is intense, and the wind is terrifying.” He explained that at night “you can’t even lift a finger outside the blanket” due to the extreme cold. According to civil defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal, over 90 percent of tents have been either blown away or flooded by the strong winds and heavy rains, highlighting the scale of the ongoing humanitarian disaster. Basal also noted that more than 110 residential buildings have suffered significant partial collapses, putting the lives of thousands across the Gaza Strip at risk. 'Aid is very scarce' Akram said that his only wish nowadays is still to feel warmth under a blanket. “Aid is very scarce and doesn’t reach all families,” he explained. “If aid does reach a family, it might only provide one blanket. How can one blanket cover an entire family?” He emphasised the growing need for blankets, mattresses and tents that can provide shelter amid the floods and rain. He also called for caravans to help make life "more manageable" during the winter season. “In the end, a tent can’t do much against the cold and wind. Everyone is in the same situation,” he added. Israel using starvation and aid to inflict genocide in Gaza: Amnesty Read More » The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa) said in a post on X that “months of war and displacement have forced people in Gaza to live amid collapsing ruins in makeshift shelters or flimsy tents”. “While Storm Byron, which struck Gaza from 10 December, was a natural hazard, its consequences are man-made,” it added. The Gaza-based Government Media Office on Sunday said that Israel was continuing to evade its obligations under the ceasefire agreement, failing to allow the agreed 600 trucks per day into the blockaded strip. Only about 20,000 trucks entered the Gaza Strip out of the 48,000 since October, which the office said is leading the enclave into "a slow death". "This has led to a continued severe shortage of food, medicine, water and fuel, deepening the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip," it added. The lack of fuel shipments into the Gaza Strip has also exacerbated the dire situation, "paralysing" several sectors, including hospitals, bakeries, water and sanitation facilities as well as hindering search and rescue operations. The ceasefire was intended to bring an end to a two-year genocidal war on Gaza, during which Israel killed about 71,000 Palestinians and destroyed nearly 90 percent of the strip’s infrastructure. Israel's genocide in Gaza Mera Aladam Jerusalem News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0