GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Ismail Al-Thawabteh, Director General of the Government Media Office in the Gaza Strip, said that the low-pressure weather system exposed the fragility of the living conditions imposed on Palestinians, particularly displaced people living in dilapidated tents and primitive shelters as a result of the Israeli genocide.
In press statements on Wednesday, Thawabteh added that the coincidence of the low-pressure system with the widespread destruction of infrastructure, unprecedented forced displacement, and the absence of even the most basic means of protection has turned weather conditions into a direct threat to civilians’ lives.
He stressed that the low-pressure system revealed the vulnerability of the living reality imposed on the population, especially the displaced, who live in worn-out tents and rudimentary shelters that lack the minimum humanitarian safety standards, amid the continued closure of crossings and the prevention of the entry of shelter and emergency materials.
A low-pressure system has been affecting Gaza since Monday evening, the second in less than a week, amid a severe deterioration in humanitarian conditions as thousands of homes and tents have been damaged.
The impact of the first low-pressure system, which hit the Strip at dawn on December 10 and was named “Byron,” lasted three days and resulted in the deaths of 14 Palestinians, while 53,000 tents were fully or partially damaged or flooded, causing losses estimated at about $4 million, according to official data.
Thawabteh emphasized that the repercussions of the two low-pressure systems were most severe for the displaced, whose number exceeds 1.5 million, and who are living in conditions resembling a renewed Nakba, with no real solutions, no protection, and no clear humanitarian horizon.
He explained that displacement areas turned into muddy pools, tents were flooded along with their contents of bedding, blankets, and food. Moreover, medical points were damaged, and fragile sources of income were lost for thousands of families, he elaborated.
He affirmed that what has occurred and continues to occur during the winter season proves that “every coming low-pressure system is likely to turn into a new tragedy,” given the ongoing prevention of the entry of about 300,000 tents, mobile homes, caravans, and relief and emergency supplies.
