Severe winter storm puts 800,000 displaced Palestinians at risk, says UN

By Rédaction Africanews and EBU

Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are at risk from cold and floods as Storm Byron makes landfall in the Gaza Strip.

Already scarred by two years of war, the Gaza Strip has been hit by a severe winter storm.

Palestinian sources say 12 people have died thousands of makeshift homes have been flooded.

According to the UN’s migration agency, close to 800,000 displaced Palestinians are at heightened risk from the rain and floods.

“Our house in Gaza City was destroyed,” says Said Khalil, “so now we live here in a tent. When it rained, water poured in and the tent collapsed on top of us. We need containers to live in. These tents are not winter-proof.”

Thirteen buildings have collapsed due to the rain, in one case burying five people beneath it. But some people say they have no other choice.

“It was too difficult for my sick old mother to stay in the tent, so we moved back into our old house,” says Yassin Al-Baghdadi. “We got out just in time before it collapsed. Where should we go? Where can we live? Then let the house above us collapse.”

Aid groups are calling on Israel to allow more aid to enter Gaza so that residents can start rebuilding desperately needed houses and infrastructure.