BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA
Barefoot children ran across cold, damp sand on Saturday as thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza tried to reinforce their threadbare tents ahead of another round of winter rain, a harsh routine that has become a defining feature of daily life after months of war and destruction.
In the central town of Deir al-Balah, families worked through the morning wind, bracing tents with scraps of wood, plastic sheeting and torn tarpaulins scavenged from the streets. Many said they have lived in makeshift shelters for nearly two years, after repeated displacement during the fighting between Israel and Hamas reduced their homes to rubble.
Inside the tents, dim daylight filtered through pin-sized holes, casting faint points of light across damp blankets and worn carpets. Outside, mothers strung wet clothes across ropes and poles, hoping to dry them during brief breaks in the rain. Puddles formed quickly along muddy paths, while cold moisture seeped through tent floors and walls.
“We have been living in this tent for two years,” said Shaima Wadi, a mother of four who was displaced from Jabaliya in northern Gaza. “Every time it rains and the tent collapses over our heads, we try to fix it with pieces of wood. Everything is expensive now, we have no income, and we can barely afford clothes for our children or mattresses for them to sleep on.”
Humanitarian workers say the worsening weather has compounded an already dire situation. Gaza’s Health Ministry has reported dozens of deaths linked to exposure, including infants, as well as fatalities caused by the collapse of homes damaged during the fighting. Aid groups have repeatedly urged for more shelters, winter supplies and construction materials to be allowed into the territory, warning that thousands remain dangerously exposed to the elements.
Emergency responders have advised people to avoid damaged buildings, but with vast swaths of Gaza destroyed, many families say they have nowhere else to go. Ahmad Wadi, another displaced resident, said he collects plastic, cardboard and nylon from the streets to keep his family warm, sometimes burning the materials or using them as makeshift insulation.
“They don’t have proper covers,” he said. “It is freezing, the humidity is high, and water comes in from everywhere. I don’t know what to do.”
The humanitarian crisis continues as diplomatic efforts attempt to move forward. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit Washington in the coming days as negotiators work on the second phase of a ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10. While the truce has largely held, progress has slowed amid unresolved issues and mutual accusations of violations.
Key challenges include the fate of the last hostage taken during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, the structure of postwar governance in Gaza, the possible deployment of an international stabilization force, the disarmament of Hamas, and further Israeli troop withdrawals. Each of these issues remains deeply contentious.
Since the ceasefire began, Gaza’s Health Ministry says hundreds of Palestinians have been killed and more than a thousand wounded, while hundreds of bodies have been recovered from beneath collapsed buildings as improved security conditions allow rescue teams to search previously inaccessible areas. Over the past two days alone, dozens of bodies were brought to hospitals, many pulled from rubble left by earlier strikes.
The ministry says the total number of Palestinians killed since the start of the war has surpassed 71,000, with more than 170,000 wounded. While the ministry does not differentiate between civilians and fighters, its records are compiled by medical professionals and are widely regarded by international observers as broadly reliable.
Tensions have also remained high in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israel’s defense minister said Saturday that military operations were continuing in the town of Qabatiya, a day after an attack in northern Israel left two people dead. Israeli authorities said the attacker, a Palestinian from the town, was shot and wounded and later hospitalized.
Israeli forces frequently conduct raids in West Bank communities linked to attackers, a practice the government says is intended to disrupt militant networks and prevent further violence. Human rights organizations, however, argue that such operations amount to collective punishment.
Residents of Qabatiya described a heavy military presence, with bulldozers blocking roads and soldiers enforcing a strict curfew. “They closed the main streets with dirt barriers,” said Bilal Hanash, a local resident. “They are punishing an entire town of 30,000 people.”
As winter storms sweep across Gaza and political negotiations remain uncertain, displaced families face another season of cold, rain and instability, waiting for relief that feels as fragile as the tents sheltering them.
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