The harsh winter in Gaza: severe cold, collapsing tents, and infectious diseases exacerbating the wounds of the displaced.

Thousands of displaced people in the Gaza Strip have been living through a severe humanitarian crisis for days, as they are besieged by stormy weather, heavy rains, and the biting cold of winter.

The weather conditions have not only increased their suffering but have also led to the collapse of several dilapidated tents set up on the beach, flooding the beds and blankets they use to seek warmth.

The material losses have affected around twenty-two thousand tents, and the Gaza government estimated the damage caused by the floods at four and a half million dollars, which included the destruction of food, medicine, and infrastructure facilities.

Local relief organizations confirmed the urgent need to provide three hundred thousand new tents to shelter the residents, nearly all of whom have been forced to flee their homes during the ongoing assault on the area.

Ismail al-Thawabteh, the director of the government media office, revealed that the floods led to the collapse of emergency shelters in some areas, turning the camps into pools of water and mud.

Severe damage has been inflicted on the already strained water and sewage networks, as well as on the small solar energy facilities that are the only source of electricity in the sector.

The rates of stomach diseases and skin diseases have increased; the majority of the displaced rely on small pits and tanks for sewage that overflow with heavy rainfall.

The spread of random piles of garbage has occurred due to the inaccessibility of waste dumps or their damage, which weakens the immune system of the displaced.