Mothers in Gaza say they are unable to keep their children dry and warm as temperatures drop and rainwater floods their flimsy tents.
Heavy rainstorms and strong winds have seen hundreds of makeshift shelters flood in recent days, bringing further misery for Gaza’s displaced population. More than 1.6 million people – the vast majority of the 1.9 million people displaced by the war – are currently living in fragile tents and makeshift shelters, which often amount to just a few plastic sheets, amid a severe shortage of shelter materials and warm clothes.
As temperatures continue to fall, at least seven babies are reported to have died from the cold in recent days and weeks. January and February are the coldest months in Gaza and ActionAid is warning that more children will die unless essential aid to help people survive winter is allowed in.
Mothers in Gaza told ActionAid of their despair at being unable to protect their families from the elements. Dalia*, who lives in a tent on the beach in Nuseirat with her family, said: “My children, my husband and I are suffering a lot from the cold. We do not have enough tarpaulins...Yesterday we were flooded. [The water] washed over us and everything we had got wet.”
Mariam* said: “We live here in a tent in the cold and freezing temperatures, and I am afraid for my young children with the severe cold. We have a shortage of blankets and clothes...and the tarps here leak [water] into the tent.
“Tonight, it was very cold [and there were] whirlwinds and rain. The tent was torn because of the strong wind and rainwater leaked in on us. We woke up and found all the mattresses wet and my little daughter woke up and she had wet herself. I looked for a change [of clothing] for her and found the bag of clothes completely wet.”
Dareen* said: “We are in a very cold area...Yesterday we were exposed to a very difficult situation...which is the rain. [The tents were] leaking and the mattresses and blankets were wet, and our clothes are still wet and we do not have any change [of clothing]. So we waited until the clothes dried on our bodies."
Just 24 trucks carrying desperately needed shelter items were able to enter central and southern Gaza in December, according to preliminary data by the Palestine Shelter Cluster, while only 136 trucks entered northern Gaza.
ActionAid demands that the Israeli authorities end their blockade of aid into Gaza immediately to avoid any further deaths from the winter cold and stave off an imminent famine.
Riham Jafari, Advocacy and Communications Coordinator at ActionAid Palestine, says: “Not only are Palestinians facing the constant threat of death from Israeli military attacks in Gaza, where nowhere is safe, they are also at risk from the freezing cold weather and heavy rainfall, which has already claimed several lives. These deaths were entirely avoidable, but restrictions on aid mean people do not have the very basics they need - such as blankets, warm clothes, waterproof tents and tarpaulins – to protect themselves. Children are going to bed shivering in wet clothes because their parents have no way to keep them dry and warm, and as we enter the coldest time of the year, the situation will only get worse. Shelter items, as well as food, clean water and medicines, must be allowed into Gaza immediately, and there must be a permanent ceasefire now.”
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* Names have been changed
Riham Jafari and other spokespeople are available for interview. Please contact the press office to arrange at: uk.media@actionaid.org or on +44 7753 973 486