Nestapa Gaza Refugees, Take Shelter In Flooded Tipis Tents And 6 Degree Temperature Threats

Seasonal rain with cold temperatures punctures adds to the suffering of Gaza refugees in addition to the threat of airstrikes, disease and hunger. (X UNRWA)

JAKARTA - In refugee camps crowded with people in Gaza, Ayman Siam placed concrete blocks around the tent to keep his family dry from being exposed to heavy rains that could add to their suffering amid the threat of airstrikes, disease and hunger.

"I tried to protect my tent from rainwater because we thought it would rain heavily. Three days ago when it rained, we were soaking wet," said Siam, trying to protect his children and grandchildren from the rain, Wednesday, November 27, quoted from AFP.

The rainy season without tapping on the door has entered the Palestinian Gaza region. No exception at the Yarmouk sports stadium in northern Gaza, where Siam, his family and Gazans were expelled from their homes due to the endless Israeli military invasion.

Siam lives temporarily in one of the tight thin tents established by refugees at the stadium. Locations that are no longer like a sports arena with a field view like a mud field filled with puddles of water due to rain. Meanwhile, a number of items were washed away in the vicinity.

The refugees at the stadium dug up a small ditch around their tent, covered it with plastic sheets, and did whatever it took to stop the water from entering their respective bivaks.

Others use shovels to direct water to the sewers, because the sky continues to be cloudy recently with the potential for more heavy rain.

The majority of Gaza's 2.4 million population have indeed been forced to flee. They have often moved refugee camps as the Israeli military continues to carry out attacks.

With so many refugees living in refugee camps, winter in sight raises serious concerns.

Mahmud Bassal, spokeswoman for Gaza's civil defense agency, said that "tens of thousands of people displaced, especially in the central and southern parts of the Gaza Strip, suffered from the rain causing their tents to be flooded."

He also hopes that the international community will continue to lend their hands, especially providing tents and assistance.

Meanwhile, international aid organizations have issued warnings about a potentially deteriorating situation in Gaza's displaced population as winter approaches.

"This is going to be a major disaster," said Louise Wateridge, an emergency officer for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees or UNRWA currently in Gaza.

The rainy season in Gaza is expected to occur from the end of October 2024 to April 2025, with January 2025 becoming the wetttest month given the average rainfall of 30 to 40 millimeters. Temperatures have the potential to fall to 6 degrees Celsius. In the midst of such extreme weather, recent rain flooded hundreds of refugee tents

"Rain and sea water flooded all tents. We were helpless. The water swept away all the contents of the tent, including mattresses, blankets, and jugs of water. We could only get mattresses and blankets for the children," said Auni Al-Sabea, a refugee.