Distant memories of warmth and joy as Gazans face another brutal winter

Those displaced by war lack food, shelter and hygiene, UN says

A girl at a camp for displaced Palestinians in Al Zaywayda in the central Gaza Strip. AFP

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

Their bodies are more frail, immune systems weaker and tents drenched in rain and sewage. This year's winter is taking a more brutal toll on Gazans who have less shelter, aid and food to survive on than they did a year ago.

With 90 per cent of the enclave's 1.2 million population displaced, most with just the clothes on their back, Gazans are left exposed and scared. “Our teams on the ground wonder whether the children are shivering from the fear of bombardment or the cold,” Jonathan Crickx, Jerusalem spokesman for Unicef, the UN children's agency, told The National.

The second wartime winter during is harsher, Mr Crickx said, because last year, much of Gaza's infrastructure was still standing. Now it is almost completely destroyed.

“When it hit Gaza last year, most of the population was displaced to Rafah,” he said. “It wasn't equipped to host so many people but you still had some buildings and schools that were turned into shelters.”

Last year, Gazans were in better overall health. Now, with Israel allowing in less aid per month than what was needed for a few days in Gaza before the war, Palestinians are weak. “People are very tired. Their immune system is deteriorating,” Mr Crickx said. “They have been exposed to hunger for way longer than they were at the start of the war. The situation is way worse than last winter.”

In one UN centre in Deir Al Balah, Mr Crickx said 300 cases of chickenpox were detected due to a combination of lack of water and soap for personal hygiene and the cramped space.

Aid groups raised the alarm in November, calling winter in Gaza a “ticking time bomb”. Heavy rain last month swept tents away while others in coastal areas were flooded by seawater after high tides.

Nearly one million people are at risk of exposure to the elements as just over 20 per cent of needs are being met, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said. Speaking to The National, UNRWA's emergency officer Louise Wateridge said that the average waiting time for lorries entering Gaza was 74 days, with some stuck in Amman since August.

“There's a lot of uncertainty this year from one day to the next or even one hour to the next,” she said.

“At the rate that aid is being allowed in, it would take about two years for all the winter supplies to enter.

Frozen memories

Tahani Hamad, 25, who was displaced with her family from Jabalia in the north to Rafah in the south, recalled how she once looked forward to the rain, so she could sit in her window and watch the storm.

But moments that ordinary Gazans once relished no longer bring them joy. “Now if I hear that rain is coming I can’t sleep out of fear the rain will flood our belongings,” Ms Tahani told The National.

She rented a house after she was forced to flee her home, but ended up in the tent where she now lives after intense Israeli bombardment began in May.

Nothing could keep the water out, she said. After only five days of rain so far this season, Ms Tahani's tent has already flooded and the cold has made her feel helpless and unable to protect her children. “The war stole the warmth of our homes and of our hearts,” she said.

The worry is not only for the water coming in, but also what it brings with it, said Mohammed Abu Al Jidyan, sheltering in a tent with his wife and three daughters in Gaza city. “When heavy rain falls, things get damaged and ruined, and the sewage overflows into the camps.”

Israel's fuel restrictions have led to critical services such as waste collection and sewage management shutting down, making floods a breeding ground for diseases, the International Rescue Committee said.

Mr Abu Al Jidyan said his heart breaks when he sees his daughters having to go outside at night to use the toilet. “They shiver from the freezing cold, and I fear for them every time they step outside the tent with no warm clothes, no heavy tarps and nothing to shield us from the harshness of winter,” he said.

Munira Abu Awad, 37, a mother of five, lives in a house in Maghazi. Memories of past winters that brought joy are still clear in her mind. “In the days of peace before the war, we would gather as a family, cooking the most delicious, warm meals and sharing them in a cozy, joyful atmosphere,” she said.

Everything has changed since the war started; even cooking food has become a struggle. Unicef on Tuesday warned that about one million children in Gaza are facing winter without adequate shelter, food, water and protection. “Not everything is available in the markets because of the siege and Israeli restrictions. Second, there’s no gas or firewood to cook with,” Ms Abu Awad said.

Worse of all, she said, is the constant lack of peace of mind which has robbed her of the ability to find happiness in the simple things. “Thankfully, we’re still living in our house, even though it’s damaged. Compared to many people living in tents during these freezing winter nights, our situation is better,” she said. “Yet, so many aspects of life have vanished in a terrifying way, and we can’t bring them back because the occupation [Israel] has destroyed everything.”

Ahmed Mustafa, 34, who lives in Al Nuseirat camp in central Gaza with his family of six, misses the friends that he used to see on most winter evenings. “The war took away our food, our drinks and the people we used to spend those cozy nights with. Some of those people are now martyrs; others have been displaced,” he said. “We thought those days would never end.”