Shaaban Bilal (Gaza, Cairo)
The extreme cold and heavy rains have doubled the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Gazans displaced to the city of Rafah in the south of the Strip, who are crowded into ill-equipped camps, and many of whom have slept on the streets due to the lack of sufficient shelter places.
Displaced people and political analysts in the Gaza Strip said that families, especially children, the elderly, and women are facing very difficult humanitarian conditions as a result of the lack of basic needs, and their suffering has doubled as a result of the extreme cold.
From the city of Rafah, south of Gaza, Dr. Tayseer Abu Jumah, professor of political science at the University of Palestine, said that the humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated with the recent fluctuations and depression, as families reside in tents that do not protect them from the heavy rains that flooded them.
Abu Jumaa explained in a statement to Al-Ittihad that there are obstacles facing the arrival of humanitarian aid to displaced families who cannot find shelter except tents, and at the same time do not have money to buy, and there are no goods at all that they can buy, calling for the formation of committees to deliver support to all displaced families in Rafah.
Abu Jumaa, who was displaced among hundreds of thousands of people in Rafah, considered that some tents do not have the known meaning or the required specifications, as they are made of fabrics and wooden boards that are subject to collapse as a result of heavy rains and strong winds, with no means available for protection from the extreme cold, such as clothes and covers. The prices of coal and firewood for heating increased as a result of the demand for their purchase.
The spread of diseases and epidemics increased in Rafah, and hundreds lost their lives as a result of the accumulation of more than 1.3 million displaced people amid the lack of basic needs of medical and health services, food, drinking water, sanitation, and others.
In this context, Fatah movement spokesman Munther Al-Hayek said, “Winter has doubled the suffering of more than 1.3 million people who were displaced to the city of Rafah, south of Gaza, with no shelter to protect them from the extreme cold, especially children, women, and the elderly.”
Al-Hayek explained in a statement to Al-Ittihad that the displaced are unable to face rain, wind and storms, and that the situation is becoming more difficult with the spread of diseases and the lack of drinking water, food, toilets and means of protection.
Al-Hayek called for the international community to quickly intervene to stop the war so that the displaced can return to their homes and protect themselves and their children from the harsh weather.
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