Hundreds of thousands of displaced people across Gaza are enduring dire humanitarian conditions as winter sets in. Heavy rains have flooded 10,000 tents, and the Gaza Municipality has warned of the spread of epidemics due to overcrowding among the displaced and a shortage of resources.
اضافة اعلان
According to Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal, Gaza is experiencing catastrophic conditions, which worsen with rainfall. Ten thousand tents have been flooded, while rising water levels in ponds threaten to flood homes.
Bassal also stated that the Israeli military is preventing humanitarian organizations and international agencies from operating fully, blocking the entry of water pumps and cooking gas, particularly in the northern areas of Gaza.
In a statement, the Gaza government’s media office reported that around 10,000 tents housing displaced people were destroyed and swept away by waves over the past two days due to a storm. They renewed an urgent humanitarian appeal to the international community, urging all countries and international organizations to help save the displaced before it’s too late.
The statement also highlighted that the Israeli army has prevented the entry of 250,000 tents and caravans (mobile homes) into Gaza, creating a dire humanitarian situation.
Epidemic Spread
Meanwhile, the Gaza Municipality has warned of worsening diseases and epidemics as winter arrives due to the severe overcrowding of displaced people, particularly those coming from northern Gaza, alongside the extreme shortage of essential resources and services in the wake of the Israeli genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
The municipality stated that as the winter season begins, the crisis deepens due to a lack of services around the refugee camps and shelters. The demand for essential services, such as water and sewage treatment, has increased, raising concerns that the current situation could lead to a public health disaster.
The statement explained that the forced displacement of large numbers of people from northern Gaza to Gaza City and their shelter in public squares, cultural centers, and destroyed educational facilities has put immense pressure on water, sewage, and waste collection services. This has exacerbated the already critical health and environmental crisis in the city.
"Forced displacement has caused an unprecedented accumulation of waste and a significant rise in the demand for water, making the situation extremely difficult, especially given the limited resources and exhausted staff due to ongoing Israeli aggression," the statement said.
The municipality urged the international community and humanitarian organizations to urgently support their efforts and provide the necessary resources to meet the basic needs of the displaced, emphasizing that the current conditions require an immediate response to prevent further deterioration of public health and the environment.
In recent weeks, Israeli forces have forced tens of thousands of Palestinians to flee from northern Gaza to Gaza City. On October 5, 2023, the Israeli military launched a ground invasion of northern Gaza, under the pretext of preventing Hamas from regaining control of the area.
However, Palestinians argue that Israel aims to occupy northern Gaza and turn it into a buffer zone after forcibly displacing its residents, amid continued deadly bombardment and a severe blockade that prevents the entry of food, water, and medicine.
With U.S. support, Israel has been waging a war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, resulting in approximately 149,000 Palestinian casualties, most of whom are women and children. Over 10,000 people are missing, while massive destruction and famine have killed dozens of children and elderly people, making this one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world. (Al Jazeera)
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