Heavy rains from Storm Byron swept across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, flooding makeshift tents and worsening an already dire humanitarian situation 😔. Two people have died: eight-month-old Rahaf Abu Jazar, who succumbed to extreme cold at Khan Yunis’s Nasser Hospital, and a man in al-Shati refugee camp after a wall collapse during the downpour.
Since Wednesday, temperatures have plunged, winds have howled, and torrential rainfall has inundated shelters. Fuel shortages mean generators and heaters are barely working, leaving families shivering in soggy tents.
Gaza’s municipal and civil defense teams logged over 2,500 emergency calls, but much of their rescue gear, from bulldozers and water pumps to other critical equipment, was destroyed in recent strikes or is inoperable due to damaged parts and lack of fuel. Displaced residents are now reinforcing tents with debris and sandbags, braving the storm with minimal protection.
In response, Hamas urged mediators and guarantor states to pressure Israel to lift blockades on essential supplies and fully reopen the Rafah crossing, in line with ceasefire agreements, to allow much-needed aid into Gaza.
As winter sets in, Gaza’s vulnerable communities are caught between brutal weather and a shortage of life-saving resources. The call for an urgent humanitarian corridor has never been clearer.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
