The people of Gaza are enduring indescribable horrors due to the genocide unleashed by the Israeli occupation for over 400 days against the defenseless population of the Gaza Strip. Two million displaced people in Gaza are suffering from a lack of shelter, food, water, and medicine, and are now fighting for survival, especially those living in tents, with tattered mattresses and blankets that cannot protect them and their families from the bitter cold.
Gazans were forced to leave their homes and belongings because of the atrocities committed by the Israeli occupation, including the use of internationally banned weapons. The sounds of explosions, bombardments, and destruction of residential and civilian areas were sufficient to instill fear and panic in their children. Their tears alone were enough to make escape seem like a better option than staying under the certainty of death.
Even more horrifying, the occupation remains thirsty for blood, and its brutality is escalating. It has begun a horrific campaign of ethnic cleansing against Gazans in the northern strip who remained in their destroyed homes, forcing them to flee.
The Plight of Internally Displaced Persons
According to the latest statistics, the United Nations estimates that nine out of ten people in Gaza are displaced. Border authorities report that around 110,000 Palestinians have left Gaza via Egypt. More than 45,200 have been martyred in the ongoing genocide, according to the Ministry of Health.
The population as a whole is in urgent need of humanitarian assistance across various sectors. The UN and its partners estimate that the number of internally displaced persons in Gaza has risen from 1.7 million to 1.9 million.
Now, a new chapter of suffering begins for the Gazans with the arrival of the harsh winter, where the ferocity of the war meets the cruelty of the season, further complicating their lives, particularly for those who are living in tents.
Life in Tents Amid Harsh Conditions
Gazans displaced are plagued by the condition of the tents, which have become worn-out and deteriorated, intensifying the winter’s cold instead of warming them. Just a few weeks ago, when the region was hit by a cold front, hundreds of tents were flooded, along with their occupants—children and women—all of whom became vulnerable to the wind.
Wafaa Abu Saud, a displaced woman from northern Gaza, which the brutal occupation has erased from existence, describes the hardships her family faces in the central governorate, saying: “We live in a small tent, just one and a half meters in size, which we’ve been in for over a year. Life in the tent is very hard—it’s extremely hot in the summer and very cold in the winter, and it floods whenever it rains. We cover it with worn-out cloth because nylon is too expensive, and we can’t afford to buy a new tent because prices are exorbitant, and we have no source of income to replace it.”
Living with tattered tents, worn fabrics, and sandy floors, this is the current accommodation where Gazans are attempting to adapt. For the displaced, even these tents have become a dream due to their high prices.
As Abu Saud said: “My husband, my children, and I live in the tent on the sand, surrounded by insects and germs. There is no clean water or cleaning materials, which affects the health of our children. The tent fabric has become worn-out because we’ve stayed in it for a very long time, and we’ve also been displaced several times, moving the tent each time to a new location.”
Amid the skyrocketing prices in the region, the cost of tents has become prohibitively high, making it impossible for displaced people to buy them. The price of a tent for one family is around $800 or more. After this war has consumed all that the people of Gaza owned, it is difficult, if not impossible, for any family to have this amount.
This was confirmed by Rania Habib, a displaced woman from the Sidra area in Gaza City to Deir al-Balah, who said: “This tent is supposed to be one of the aid packages provided to the Palestinian people, but we didn’t receive one. We had to buy the tent to protect my children. The tent is covered with nylon from the top and sides to prevent us from flooding when it rains, but even then, if the wind is strong, the tent falls, and we get flooded. I constantly fear for my six children from the severe cold in this tent, as we were displaced and couldn’t bring clothes with us.”
The displaced people of Gaza live in tents that only increase their fears. They are constantly between the fear of hearing the sounds of airstrikes in the area and the fear of tomorrow, where they may not even have a tent to live in because it could be flooded, worn-out by the rain, the sea waves, or the winds. They are caught between the hammer of the occupation’s aircraft and the cold winter’s anvil.