Freezing under fire: Displaced Gazans brace for harsh winter with no food, shelter, blankets, or aid as conflict drags on

Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - People crowd outside a bakery as they queue for bread in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 23, 2024 amidst a flour shortage. — AFP pic

GAZA, Oct 25 — As temperatures fall in Gaza, displaced Palestinians living in makeshift shelters with little food or warm clothes fear the approaching winter, the second since the war began.

“We did not expect that another winter would pass while we are still under war,” Salah Abu al-Jabeen told AFP on Wednesday.

Originally from the north of the Gaza Strip, the 32-year-old is living in an overcrowded makeshift camp in the central Gaza city of Nuseirat.

“We need to replace the tent covers because they have deteriorated from the summer sun,” she said.

Jabeen had hoped to find space in a shelter, but “the school is full of displaced people, and there is no space at all,” she added.

Nearby, Ahmad al-Razz is equally ill-equipped for the cold.

“When I was displaced, there was no space in Deir al-Balah. I set up my tent on the beach,” the 42-year-old told AFP.

“My tent is made of cloth and flour sacks that I sewed together,” he said.

“We are freezing every night because we are right by the sea, and we have no blankets or coverings to keep us warm.”

Like Jabeen, Razz looked elsewhere for somewhere to sleep, but could not find any space in the overcrowded camps and shelters.

After more than a year of relentless war, almost all of Gaza’s population has been displaced at least once, according to the United Nations.

Shortages of everything from food and medical equipment to blankets and warm clothing have only made things worse.

AFP journalists saw dozens of people queueing outside a bakery in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis on Wednesday, sometimes arguing and shoving in the hope of getting to the front of the line.

With little aid getting into Gaza, basic necessities are either absent from market shelves, or sold at exorbitant prices inflated by scarcity.

A low of 14°Celsius was forecast on Wednesday in Gaza, where the average low temperature in January is around 8°C.

Fears of ‘rising’ disease

“There are no winter clothes available in the markets, and no aid has come to us,” Israa al-Qurman told AFP.

“I wrap my little child in a blanket at night because the cold is extremely harsh.”

The 30-year-old mother of five displaced in Khan Yunis fears that her youngest will get sick from the cold.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned about the effect cold weather could have on the already dire situation in displaced camps.

“The poor water, sanitation, and hygiene situation along with overcrowding in shelters and displacement sites are the major drivers of communicable diseases,” Richard Peeperkorn, the WHO’s representative for the occupied Palestinian territory, said on Wednesday.

“As these conditions will likely deteriorate further during the winter, these disease incidences are likely to continue rising,” he told AFP.

A drive to vaccinate children against polio in northern Gaza was postponed on Wednesday due to “intense bombardment”, according to the WHO.

For those stuck in Gaza like Qurman, only the end of the war offers any hope.

“We haven’t even seen winter yet, what can we do?” asked Qurman.

“We hope that the war will stop before winter and the heavy rains arrive.” — AFP