Gaza: Gaza's government announced Saturday that a polar low-pressure system wreaked havoc in the region over recent days, claiming the lives of 11 Palestinians and causing approximately $4 million in direct damages, further deepening the humanitarian crisis stemming from a two-year Israeli genocide.
According to Anadolu Agency, the Gaza Media Office reported that the storm led to the collapse of multiple buildings previously damaged by Israeli attacks. Civil Defense teams have recovered the bodies of 11 victims and continue to search for at least one missing person.
The Gaza Media Office indicated that at least 13 homes in the enclave collapsed, all of which had been previously struck in the ongoing conflict. The storm also impacted over 27,000 tents, sweeping them away or flooding them, and partially or fully damaging more than 53,000 tents. This destruction has directly affected more than 250,000 displaced Palestinians who reside in tents and makeshift shelters, which offer inadequate protection from the harsh weather conditions.
The storm further exacerbated existing infrastructure issues, flooding and damaging sewage networks, submerging entrances to educational facilities used as shelters, and destroying service equipment in these centers. Temporary water pipelines were knocked out, mixing clean water with rainwater and mud, thereby increasing contamination risks. Makeshift medical points within displacement centers were also damaged, resulting in the loss of medicines, medical supplies, and first-aid equipment, while medical teams have struggled to access affected areas.
Additionally, thousands of families lost stored food supplies, including recently distributed aid ruined by the floodwaters, and some shelters lost emergency stockpiles. In the agricultural sector, the office noted that low-lying farmland was flooded, seasonal crops were damaged, and dozens of makeshift greenhouses were destroyed, eliminating a source of income for many displaced families.
The storm also damaged batteries, alternative lighting tools, and small solar panels used by displaced families and shelters. The Gaza Media Office highlighted that the extent of losses underscores longstanding warnings about the fragility of displacement conditions. It attributed these conditions to Israeli restrictions that have blocked the entry of vital shelter materials, such as 300,000 tents, mobile homes, and caravans.
The office held Israel fully accountable for the humanitarian conditions and called on the international community, the UN, humanitarian organizations, ceasefire guarantors, and donor states to take urgent action. They urged for the unconditional opening of crossings and the immediate entry of shelter materials and emergency supplies, in accordance with the humanitarian protocol of the ceasefire agreement.
A powerful winter storm swept through the Gaza Strip, causing fatalities, including children, since Wednesday. The storm's torrential rain, freezing temperatures, and strong winds triggered deadly collapses of bombed-out buildings, flooded displacement camps, and exposed families to extreme cold. Despite a ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10, living conditions in Gaza have not improved, as Israel continues to enforce strict restrictions on the entry of aid trucks, violating the humanitarian protocol of the agreement. Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have resulted in over 70,300 deaths, mostly women and children, and injured more than 171,000 people in Gaza, continuing despite the truce.