Gaza’s storm-related deaths rise again
The death toll from Storm Byron has increased to 12 as homes collapse under strong winds and flooding, Gaza’s Government Media Office announced.
According to the media office, the storm has begun to materialise on the ground in the enclave, leaving Gaza’s one and a half million displaced people in “direct confrontation with the danger of drowning and collapses”.
“The Gaza Strip has witnessed dangerous developments, including: 12 casualties, including martyrs and missing people, as a result of the storm’s impact and the collapse of bombed buildings across all governorates of the Gaza Strip,” the statement read.
“The collapse of at least 13 homes, most recently in the al-Karama and Sheikh Radwan neighbourhoods of Gaza City, with civil defence teams still responding to hundreds of calls for help; the flooding and destruction of more than 27,000 tents belonging to displaced people, which were either inundated, swept away by floods, or torn down by strong winds,” it added.
The media office reiterated that Israel is continuing to block shelter materials, mobile homes and 300,000 tents from going into Gaza.
A displaced Palestinian child carries belongings in a flooded tent camp on a rainy day in Nuseirat, central Gaza
Gaza City resident describes conditions amid storm
In the camps of Gaza City, the scenes of vulnerability are everywhere. Most tents are constructed from aid tarpaulins, pieces of plastic salvaged from rubble and blankets tied to recycled wooden poles. Many sag visibly in the middle; others are erected inadequately, so much so that they quiver and flap violently under the slightest breeze.
“When the wind starts, we all hold the poles to keep the tent from falling,” said Hani Ziara, a father sheltering in western Gaza City after his home was destroyed months ago.
His tent was flooded last night in the heavy rain, and his children had to stay outside in the cold. Hani wonders painfully what else he can do to protect his children from the rain and strong winds.
Displaced Palestinians stand near accumulated rainwater as they shelter in a flooded tent camp on a rainy day in Nuseirat, central Gaza
Gaza death toll linked to Storm Byron rises to 14
The Palestinian Ministry of Interior and National Security says at least 14 people – including women and children – have died in Gaza since Wednesday due to Storm Byron. The deaths are linked to the storm, which has unleashed heavy rainfall and winds on the Palestinian enclave, as well as the collapse of homes, the ministry said in a statement.
