Since the beginning of the Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip, which was a reaction to the brutal attack by Hamas, over 45,000 people have died in the enclave. Over 108,000 were injured. This is the latest data from local authorities. Those who were not killed or injured themselves mostly had to flee from their homes. Safety is very difficult – especially now, when temperatures there have dropped so much. There are further reports of newborns who died of hypothermia.
Noura gave birth to sons – twins – less than a month ago. – We had no choice but to ask for help and rescue in this hopelessness. Rescue for children. I – an adult – can stand it. The children did nothing to deserve this, says Noura al-Batran, the twins' mother.
On the night of January 29-30, one of the babies – Juma – died. – It was three in the morning, I woke up and asked my wife why she wasn't sleeping. She replied that she had been trying to wake up her sons for an hour, but they did not move. I started shaking them both. Juma was already white as snow, cold as ice, says Yahya al-Batran, the twins' father.
Doctors found that the child's cause of death was hypothermia. His twin brother survived, but was taken to hospital in a serious condition. – I swear I don't have a blanket for myself. I covered my sons with mine. I'm shaking all night myself, says Yahya al-Batran.
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The sun and palm trees in the background may mislead you into thinking that there is no winter in the Gaza Strip. At night, temperatures there drop to just a few degrees above zero. For displaced Palestinians living in makeshift tents, this is a deadly threat.
– At least five children have died in recent days due to low temperatures in the Gaza Strip. An adult man was also found dead in one of the tents. The Gaza Strip is suffering severely from the weather, and about two million people are living in tents, says Khalil al-Deqran, a doctor and spokesman for al-Aqsa Hospital.
“Nobody notices us”
Cold is just one of the problems. Gaza has recently experienced heavy rains accompanied by gusty winds. In the same camp where Noura and Yahya live, dozens of tents were flooded or blown away.
– Rain was accumulating on the roof of the tent. It broke under his pressure. We woke up at night to save things, but the water seeped into the mattresses and clothes, says Abu Ahmed Hassanien, a displaced Palestinian.
– We live here in cold and hunger. We have no clothes, blankets or mattresses. The rain falls on us all night long and the tarps are leaking. Nobody notices us, sums up Samira al-Ashqar, a displaced Palestinian woman.
Israel says it has allowed thousands of trucks carrying food, water and medical equipment into the Gaza Strip. However, international aid organizations are warning that humanitarian aid is being blocked by the authorities in Tel Aviv, which is further deepening the crisis.
– We escaped from Israeli bombs and now we struggle with rain and floods in tents. Nobody cares about us, we can only turn to God, says Sabreen Abu Shanab, a displaced mother of three children.
What about the agreement between Israel and Hamas?
This is the second winter since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas. Despite the hardships, hopes among some Palestinians that the conflict will soon be resolved persist.
– A year has passed and here we are starting the New Year, with the hope that we will be able to live like people in other countries. All we ask is to live. We demand the right to live, simply to live, says Mohammed Woloud, a displaced Palestinian.
Low temperatures threaten displaced Palestinians in the war-torn Gaza Strip
Just before the New Year, the outgoing US administration of President Joe Biden announced that it was doing everything it could to reach a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel and that it was “within reach.” However, both sides of the conflict blame each other for the impasse in the talks.
“It's doom”
On Wednesday night, medics in Gaza reported that Israeli airstrikes on Khan Yunus had killed at least 37 people, including 11 in the camp. The Israeli military said its target was a terrorist headquarters located in a humanitarian area.
– What Israel is dropping on us are not rockets. This is destruction. I hope these people fear God, says Hamada Abou Taka, a resident of the Gaza Strip.
Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. The terrorist organization still holds about a hundred of the more than 250 Israeli hostages kidnapped at the time.
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Main photo source: Hani Alshaer/Anadolu via Getty Images