Gaza City — Mohammed al-Jamal, 60, tries to secure the nylon sheets of his family’s worn-out tent as a storm approaches his displacement camp on a beach in western Gaza City. He and his sons pull at the tarpaulin, trying to fasten it firmly to the ground for protection from rain and wind coming in from the sea. This will be the fourth winter that displaced Palestinians in Gaza have faced without adequate shelter.
Many still live in tents and makeshift structures that offer little protection against the impending winter weather when temperatures can drop to 7C (below 45F) but can feel much colder due to strong coastal winds and rain. The family cannot afford to fix their damaged tent with a replacement tarpaulin costing between 120 and 150 shekels ($37-$47) in local markets. All al-Jamal can do is patch up the damaged shelter and hope it holds through the coming storm.
But once the storm comes, everything gets torn apart, and we have to start all over again. It is continuous suffering throughout the winter.” Al-Jamal, originally from Gaza City’s Shujayea neighbourhood, has been displaced several times since Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began in October 2023. About 30 members of his extended family live in these difficult living conditions.
This is what is available to us. We need everything,” he said. When it rains, water enters the tent and floods their living space, risking damage to their meagre belongings.
When temperatures drop, tents offer little protection for the displaced, with al-Jamal and his family having no choice but to put on more layers of clothing. We are living in the street, not in houses that protect us,” he said. Al-Jamal said he had repeatedly heard promises that shelter materials and caravans would be allowed into Gaza, but none had arrived for his family, and he had not seen any of them enter.
He described these announcements as “false promises and lies” that had left displaced families waiting for help that never came. Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed more than 74,500 Palestinians and destroyed or damaged more than 80 percent of buildings. With homes and infrastructure in Gaza destroyed, about 1.5 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are living in tents or makeshift shelters.
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