Collapse of 15 Homes in Gaza During the Recent Weather Low

At least 15 homes collapsed over the heads of their residents in Gaza during the weather low last week, as residents of the sector endure a tragic winter amid a worsening humanitarian crisis with the occupation preventing the entry of necessary aid to protect against heavy rains and strong winds.

In the context of monitoring the dimensions of the escalating humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, the "Sind" verification agency documented the complete or partial collapse of at least 15 homes, resulting in casualties including children.

Satellite images also showed severe damage to displaced persons' tents due to heavy rains and strong winds, especially in Gaza City and the northern part of the sector, areas that have been subjected to intensive and systematic bombing over two years of Israel's genocidal war.

The map prepared by the "Sind" agency shows the collapses concentrated in Gaza Governorate with 11 homes, in addition to 4 other homes in the northern sector.

The data analysis relied on reports from Gaza Civil Defense, journalists' reports and photos, and satellite images. All this information was concentrated in the period from December 12 to 16, the days when the sector faced a harsh weather low.

According to the analysis results, December 12 recorded the harsh peak of the weather low on the northern areas, with more than 68% of the total observed complete and partial collapse incidents occurring on that day alone during that period.

By comparing satellite images taken before the low with those documented on December 13, the day after the low's peak, the extent of the severe damage to the tents due to rains, floods, and strong winds that uprooted and swept away several of them and flooded entire camps becomes clear, which coincides with Civil Defense statements and field footage broadcast by activists and journalists.

The Ministry of Interior in the Gaza Strip confirmed on Friday the death of 14 Palestinians due to the low, some of whom died from the effects of the weather low and due to partial and complete collapses of homes and buildings on the heads of their residents because of the rains, and 3 children died from cold.

For its part, the Government Media Office in Gaza stated that the weather low, named "Birun", revealed the depth of the entrenched humanitarian catastrophe in the sector, estimating initial losses at about 4 million dollars.

The office also recorded damage and flooding of more than 50,000 displaced persons' tents, in addition to widespread destruction in infrastructure, road networks, water lines, and damage to huge quantities of food supplies, as well as flooding of vast agricultural areas and damage to field medical points.

The office issued an urgent distress call, emphasizing the need to urgently introduce shelter materials, tents, mobile homes (caravans), and emergency supplies, in compliance with humanitarian protocols and the provisions of the ceasefire agreement that came into effect on October 10, which stipulate securing civilians' needs in such circumstances.

The occupation did not commit to entering 600 aid trucks daily as stipulated in the agreement, according to the Government Media Office in Gaza, which confirmed that the average number of trucks allowed by Israel to enter the sector since the agreement came into effect did not exceed 234 trucks daily.

Israel prevents the entry of materials needed by Gaza Strip residents to protect against winter rains or repair their homes that were bombed, amid uncertainty about the timing and mechanism for starting reconstruction.