Watan-As a deep polar storm approaches Gaza this weekend, displaced residents—those returning to destroyed homes, those still in shelters, and those with severely damaged houses—face yet another catastrophe. Warnings indicate severe risks, including tents being uprooted and widespread flooding, further worsening the already dire living conditions of thousands.
With families struggling to stay warm and basic necessities in short supply, the coming storm threatens to deepen Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, leaving its most vulnerable residents at extreme risk.
The Strongest Storm Yet
Meteorological reports indicate that a deep low-pressure system will impact the region starting Wednesday, reaching Gaza by Thursday, bringing heavy rains, freezing temperatures, and strong winds.
Weather forecaster Laith Al-Alami described this as the first polar storm of the season, marked by intense cold and extreme wind speeds, with gusts expected to exceed 80–90 km/h from Wednesday evening through Thursday.
Residents near the coastline have been warned of dangerously high waves, while rainfall is expected across all districts, spanning from northern occupied Palestine through the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Underscoring the storm’s severity, the “Jerusalem Weather” website issued a “red alert” for Gaza, warning of an extremely powerful and dangerous weather system. Citizens have been advised to stay away from the shore and secure their tents with stones, while humanitarian organizations have been urged to provide better shelters for displaced individuals at risk of exposure.
Precautionary Measures
As Gaza prepares for its most severe polar storm of the year, civil defense authorities have urged displaced individuals living in tents and makeshift shelters to take urgent precautionary measures to avoid life-threatening conditions.
Authorities warned against seeking refuge in heavily bombed buildings, fearing potential structural collapses due to rainwater infiltration. Additionally, displaced residents have been cautioned against lighting fires inside tents near plastic materials or fabrics, as this poses a high risk of fire hazards.
Reports confirm that this storm is expected to be the most extreme to hit Palestine this year, with Gaza at the highest risk. The last storm, which struck three weeks ago, already caused widespread destruction—uprooting tents, flooding shelters, and worsening conditions for families displaced by the war. Heavy rainfall also flooded roads and overwhelmed sewage systems, already damaged by Israeli attacks, making the situation even more dire for civilians struggling to survive.
Displaced Families Take Precautions
In anticipation of the approaching polar storm, many displaced families in Gaza are scrambling to reinforce their tents in an effort to prevent them from being uprooted. They are covering them with plastic sheets in a desperate attempt to keep rainwater out—a relentless struggle that has drained their time, effort, and resources since the war and their forced displacement.
The Gaza Media Office previously reported that over 110,000 tents are in poor condition due to continuous exposure to harsh weather, making daily survival increasingly difficult for their occupants. Following the ceasefire, local authorities called for urgent humanitarian aid, yet Israel continues to delay the implementation of the “humanitarian protocol.”
Under this protocol, 60,000 caravans and 200,000 temporary tents were meant to be delivered to Gaza to accommodate displaced families, along with 600 aid and fuel trucks daily. However, these commitments have not been fully met, deepening the crisis and creating unprecedented humanitarian consequences as thousands remain without adequate shelter and protection.
Endless Displacement
Hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans remain without proper shelter after their homes were severely damaged or destroyed during the war. Many who returned to their original neighborhoods in Gaza City, northern towns, and Rafah after the ceasefire have found themselves forced to relocate again, moving from tents in central and southern Gaza to makeshift shelters near their former homes.
In Beit Hanoun, a town where most buildings were reduced to rubble, resident Mohammed Al-Kafarna resorted to placing concrete slabs—once part of his home’s roof—around his tent to prevent it from being blown away by the approaching storm. Having been displaced for over 14 months, he described the harsh reality of his situation: “Nothing has changed.”
To combat flooding, displaced families have filled empty flour sacks with sand and placed them around their tents in low-lying areas. Despite these efforts, a severe shortage of blankets and winter clothing—exacerbated by Israeli restrictions on essential aid—continues to make survival increasingly difficult.
Dire Conditions
As temperatures plummet, displaced families in Gaza struggle to keep their children warm, huddling together under insufficient blankets that offer little protection against the biting cold. This winter alone, seven infants have tragically died due to exposure to extreme cold.
Hassan Al-Najjar, a resident of central Gaza, described the dire situation: “No heating method works at all. If I feel this cold, imagine how the children feel.” His family, like many others, has been forced to share blankets with displaced relatives, yet they still lack enough to stay warm. Meanwhile, Israeli-imposed restrictions have prevented the entry of winter clothing and shoes, leaving thousands of children without proper protection against the harsh weather.
With shoes also scarce, many children are forced to walk barefoot, their feet exposed to the freezing ground. This dire situation has led to a surge in respiratory illnesses and severe colds among young children, worsening an already critical public health crisis.
Compounding these challenges, Gaza’s healthcare system remains on the brink of collapse due to widespread destruction caused by Israeli airstrikes. Many hospitals have been damaged or completely shut down, rendering the healthcare sector unable to provide essential treatment for seasonal illnesses. In response, Gaza’s Ministry of Health has issued an urgent plea for international assistance to supply hospitals with life-saving medicines and medical equipment.
As the humanitarian crisis deepens, displaced families continue to endure unimaginable suffering, with no relief in sight.
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