Rain, winter add to hardships of Palestinians displaced by Israeli attacks

By Halime Afra Aksoy

GAZA (AA) – Due to Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip, thousands of Palestinians forcibly displaced from their homes are seeking safety in various regions of the Gaza Strip, leaving everything behind.

Rim Al-Saka, a 36-year-old Palestinian relocated from Gaza City to Rafah in the south, told Anadolu that she is trying to sustain her life in a tent set up by her family in the courtyard of a shelter belonging to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA).

Describing how rainy and cold weather is further complicating living conditions, Saka said they did not have a roof to shield them from rain and mud nor walls to block the wind.

"Rain exacerbates the difficulties we face. Two or three of our blankets are now unusable. We are in tragic conditions beyond words. We were forcibly removed from the Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City. We witnessed all kinds of hardship, and now raindrops have turned from mercy into wrath."

In the Al-Mawasi area to the west of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinians noted that the tents they took refuge in to escape the winter cold are submerged in water due to rain.

Ekram Al-Gazali, one of the Palestinian youths migrating from the north, is trying to alleviate the difficulties he faces by constructing makeshift tents from pieces of nylon collected in the area.

“Due to the rains, all the covers and sheets we had, are now wet all of a sudden. We quickly moved to protect at least some of them, but it didn't work.”

Explaining that they had to leave their homes in Jabalia due to Israeli attacks, Gazali added: "When we left our house, we left behind everything – covers, blankets, beds – and could only take a few pieces of clothing. Today, the three or five pieces we have are also under the rain. We don't know when will the attacks end, when will these difficulties we face cease, or when will we return home if there is still a home left.”

At least 18,787 Palestinians have been killed and over 50,594 others injured in the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, the Health Ministry in Gaza said on Wednesday.