• MyLove @M
• 22 Dec, 2024

Winter has hit in the Gaza hard, leaving millions of displaced Palestinians peoples, boys, girls and babies are struggling to stay warm. The families protecting them with limited supplies and fragile shelters that barely provide protection against the harsh cold weather.

The cold winds, rain, and dropping temperatures are making their life harder for the nearly 2 million people displaced by Gaza’s prolonged war. Many peoples are living in temporary tents that are now torn and worn out after months of use. Blankets, warm clothing, and firewood are in shortage, leaving families facing the cold.

A women whose name is Shadia Aiyada, she is a mother of eight children’s, shared her struggles:

> "We are very scared in every time the weather turns windy and rainy. Our tent could collapse in any time, and we have no other way to keep us warm."

Her family left their home with only summer clothes, relying on borrowed winters clothing from relatives to survive the cold nights. Temperatures often drop to the mid single digits, making the lack of proper winter clothing and blankets even more dangerous, especially for our children.

The United Nations has raised alarms about the dire living conditions of peoples in Gaza. It an estimate that nearly one million people urgently need winter supplies, but high costs and limited availability make them unattainable for most of the families. The UN also warns about rise in illnesses due to poor shelter conditions and malnutrition.

The organizations like UNRWA have worked to provide help them but they face significant challenges. While 6,000 tents were distributed in north Gaza, supplies like blankets and mattresses are stucked by neighbouring countries due to delays in approvals and safe routes. Many items have also been damaged or stolen before reaching those in need.

> "The aid we have managed to send Gaza, it is not near enough," said Louise Wateridge, a spokesperson for UNRWA. 

For families like Reda Abu Zarada, the situation of his family is very desperate, they living in a torn tent. He describes every nights of freezing temperatures and rats crawling inside their shelter. 

> "We wake up shivering every morning and scared that one day the cold weather will take one of our children."