GazaA depression that affected the Gaza Strip caused damage to hundreds of tents inhabited by displaced people, as a result of winds and rain, which exacerbated their suffering and tragedy.
In an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Net, many displaced people expressed their fear that their tents would collapse and their belongings and mattresses would be damaged as a result of the storms, in the absence of other shelters to seek refuge in.
The official Palestinian Meteorological Department said that the country is affected – today, Sunday – by a depression accompanied by a cold air mass, and there is a significant drop in temperatures accompanied by scattered showers of rain and wind. The department warned residents of the danger of a sharp drop in temperatures and strong wind speeds.
Tent without reinforcement
Aisha Al-Hadiyat (70 years old), a displaced person in Deir Al-Balah camp in the central Gaza Strip, said that her tent was damaged by the strong winds accompanying the depression.
Citrus, displaced from Gaza City, stated in an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Net that she is paralyzed and uses a walking device, and is unable to walk and leave for another place.
She added, “The rain fell on me, and the storms drowned me. I have nothing to cover myself with. I am very cold, and I am shivering.” Seven people live in the Citrus Tent, which did not receive any stabilization or restoration work before the depression.
In this regard, her husband Riyad says, “We do not have money to strengthen the tent. We have not done anything and we do not know where to go if it falls.” He added, “We do not have anything to buy food with, and everything is expensive, so where will we get the money to strengthen the tent?”
He stated that he thought about going to the mosque if the tent collapsed, but he added, “The mosque is closed. If the tent collapses, I do not know where we will go… I appeal to the officials to save us.”
“A tragic life”
For his part, Muhammad Khadra (40 years old), a father of 8 children, says that the rain has increased the suffering of the family, which does not even have a rug to cover the floor of the tent.
Pointing to the rain that wet the tent’s wall, he added, “Living here is tragic. We live near garbage and on sand. There is no shade or money to strengthen the tent.”
In turn, Harb Abu Odeh, who was displaced from Beit Hanoun (north) to the center of the Gaza Strip, expressed his pessimism about the resilience of his tent in the face of the winds, adding, “This tent cannot withstand.. The depression is still in its infancy, we do not know what to do?”
He added, “We are trying to install them, but we do not have the capabilities, and we have not received any aid to strengthen the tents.” He concluded his speech: “When the wind is strong, each person holds a corner of the tent so that it does not fly away.”
Race against time
The tent of Abdullah Shakhsa, a disabled person displaced from Gaza City to Deir al-Balah, suffered severe damage, as the rain wet his mattress, and the winds toppled its eastern wall.
A person told Tel Aviv Tribune Net, as he was sitting near his bed piled up in the corner of the tent, “The situation is distressing and winter, and we hope that good people will help us.” He added, “We do not know where to go. If we go to schools, we will not find room. We ask the relevant associations to save us.” He pointed out that he knew that the weather depression was approaching, but he could not do anything, given his extreme poverty and not having any money to strengthen his tent.
He pointed to the roof of the tent, which was made of thick nylon shade, saying: “We got this yesterday, and it is being torn apart as you can see.”
He lives in a tent with his five children, his wife, and his mother. He says that he suffers from a mobility disability in addition to severe weakness in his eyesight.
Nearby, Abd al-Rahman Abu Abdo, displaced from Gaza City, was racing against time to strengthen the southern wall of his tent in partnership with his sons.
He told Tel Aviv Tribune Net, “Six people live here. We are renovating so that we can withstand. If (the tent) falls, we will leave, but we do not know where.”
Extreme danger
For his part, Muhammad Al-Maidna, Director of Media and Public Relations at the Civil Defense Service in the Gaza Strip, said that they received many signals indicating that tents had been damaged and drowned by the depression.
Al-Maidna told Al-Jazeera Net that the depression is still in its infancy, but the living of hundreds of thousands of displaced people in tents exposes them to danger. He expressed his fear that tents set up in low-lying areas would drown due to the possibility of flash floods.
He also warned of the collapse of the houses on the verge of collapse, which were partially demolished by the occupation army, and whose residents returned to live in some of the rooms therein, adding, “In previous cases, some of these houses fell as a result of weather depressions, and therefore their residents are in grave danger.”
Al-Maidna called on the displaced people residing in tents and shelter centers to take the necessary preventive measures to avoid damage from the depression, and to install tents and place sand berms around them, for fear of the flow of rainwater.
