<\/p>\n
Speaking to Channel Africa on Monday, Palestinian Journalist and Humanitarian Worker Akram Al-Sattari said at least four people, including a mother and three children, died during the latest storm as strong winds and floodwaters tore through displacement camps. \u201cUnfortunately, this is not a good evening for a majority of the Gazans who are facing this very extreme weather condition and this very extreme shelter condition,\u201d Al-Sattari said from a tent in the Al-Mawasi area of southern Gaza.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Aid organisations estimate that about 90% of Gaza\u2019s population has been left homeless since the war began in October 2023. Around 1.4 million people are reportedly living in tents or makeshift shelters, many of which provide little protection from rain, wind and cold.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Al-Sattari said floodwaters rose to between 30 and 40 centimetres in some camps, soaking mattresses and other possessions as families slept.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cI live those horrors,\u201d Al-Sattari said. \u201cI was in my tent. I was facing the very extreme wind that was shaking almost everything, the very heavy rainfall that was also drifting the tents and removing the mattresses and leaving people drowning in the water.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Children woke to find their sleeping areas submerged, Al-Sattari said, with many left shivering in wet clothing and without a dry place to shelter.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The storm exposed a crisis that humanitarian organisations had warned about for months. Al-Sattari said international institutions, regional governments and relief agencies had been aware of the shortage of adequate shelter following severe conditions during the previous winter.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe entire world was aware that Gaza was living in an extreme condition when it comes to shelter,\u201d Al-Sattari said. \u201cYet the international community altogether failed to bring some comfort and ease, to bring protection and good and decent shelter for the people of Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Al-Sattari said around 2.1 million Palestinians had endured extreme conditions during nearly three years of war, with many facing repeated displacement, hunger, bombardment and deteriorating public services.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The rain also reportedly flooded graveyards and exposed some bodies, adding another layer of distress for families already mourning relatives killed during the conflict.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Aid groups fear that the first major storm of the winter could signal months of further suffering. The approaching rainy season is expected to bring colder temperatures and additional storms while access to tents, prefabricated homes, fuel and construction materials remains restricted.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Al-Sattari described widespread destruction across Gaza, particularly in Rafah, Khan Younis and Gaza City. Al-Sattari said Rafah, covering about 64 square kilometres, had been reduced to rubble, while an estimated 75% to 80% of Khan Younis\u2019s built infrastructure and about 95% of Gaza City\u2019s built environment had been destroyed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The figures could not be independently verified during the interview, but the scale of destruction has forced large numbers of Palestinians into densely populated displacement camps.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Many families have moved to Al-Mawasi, a coastal area where winter conditions are cold and damp, and summer conditions are hot and humid. Residents have little protection from the changing weather because many tents are torn, damaged or made from unsuitable materials. \u201cPeople who have been living in this extreme condition for the last three years are likely to continue living in the very same condition for more months or even more years to come,\u201d Al-Sattari said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Political and diplomatic initiatives have so far failed to produce a lasting solution or establish a clear reconstruction programme. Al-Sattari said Palestinians saw little prospect of an immediate breakthrough as negotiations remained stalled and military operations continued. \u201cThere are no initiatives, no political talks, only military operations, more lives wasted, more hopes devastated and more Gazans losing their lives while waiting for normality to be restored,\u201d Al-Sattari said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The United Nations (UN) has reportedly said more than 150 000 tents are waiting outside Gaza for permission to enter. Israel has cited security considerations when restricting certain materials, while humanitarian organisations say the measures are preventing essential shelter equipment from reaching displaced families.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Al-Sattari said some UN agencies had distributed winter clothing for children, but clothing offered limited protection when children continued to live in torn and waterlogged tents.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThose winter clothes for the children will not be helpful if the children are living in a dilapidated and torn tent,\u201d Al-Sattari said. \u201cEven with minimum food supplies and minimum clothing support, they are still in need of tents.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Restrictions also affect fuel, timber and vehicle spare parts. Al-Sattari said shortages had disrupted transport and forced residents to improvise, with some motorists reportedly using cooking oil in older vehicles when conventional fuel was unavailable. \u201cEverything is consumed. Everything is coming to an end,\u201d Al-Sattari said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Beyond the physical hardship, the prolonged crisis has placed severe emotional and psychological pressure on families. Many have been displaced several times and have no certainty about when permanent housing, education, healthcare or livelihoods will be restored.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Al-Sattari accused Israeli authorities of pursuing policies intended to make Gaza uninhabitable and force Palestinians from Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel has rejected accusations that military operations are aimed at permanently displacing the Palestinian population, maintaining that restrictions and military measures are linked to security objectives and the campaign against Hamas.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Palestinians are also watching international diplomatic and legal proceedings, including SA\u2019s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, for signs that international pressure could lead to accountability or improve conditions.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have been seeing South Africa (SA) being the voice of the people of Palestine,\u201d Al-Sattari said. \u201cThey have been seeing the SA government and South African people engaging in advocacy and lobbying for the sake of bringing about something decent and just for the people of Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Al-Sattari said Palestinians also followed developments at the International Criminal Court, including proceedings involving Israeli officials. However, legal and diplomatic measures had not yet delivered enough tangible relief for families needing food, fuel and shelter.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":50535,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-50534","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Thousands of displaced families in Gaza are sleeping in the open after heavy rains flooded tens of thousands of tents, leaving children and adults exposed to bitter winter conditions.","published_date":"","news_description":"Thousands of displaced families in Gaza are sleeping in the open after heavy rains flooded tens of thousands of tents, leaving children and adults exposed to bitter winter conditions.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/50534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/50534\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50537,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/50534\/revisions\/50537"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=50534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}