Heatwave in Gaza turning makeshift ‘homes into ovens’
A new crisis is gripping Gaza: a severe heatwave that is threatening the lives of Palestinians who have faced nearly two years of Israeli bombardment, mass displacement and starvation.
Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said the makeshift shelters housing displaced Palestinians have no electricity, no air conditioning, no fans and no escape from the heat.
“These shelters trap the hot air, turning homes into ovens. Inside, families struggle to breathe, stay hydrated and survive,” she said.
“It’s too hot inside the tent, so I prefer to stay outside,” Sharifa Abu Armaneh, a displaced Palestinian, told Al Jazeera. “Our situation is very difficult. We can’t tolerate this war and this hot weather any more.”
“Water is in short supply. Long lines stretch for blocks. Many wait hours for a few litres. … Some families are forced to choose between drinking, cooking and washing,” Khoudary said.
“It is extremely hot here,” Abdel Fattah Almabhouh, a displaced Palestinian, told Al Jazeera. “If you go inside, you will understand what the real meaning of hot weather is. People stay outside and sleep outside. We live in total suffering.”
Heat and thirst drive families in Gaza to drink water that makes them sick
In southern Gaza’s al-Mawasi area, Rana Odeh wakes up early to stand in line for an hour in the August heat to get a jug of murky water that she knows is likely contaminated. She strategises how much to portion out to her two small children.
“We are forced to give it to our children because we have no alternative,” Odeh, who was driven by Israel from her home in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, told The Associated Press. “It causes diseases for us and our children.”
Mahmoud al-Dibs, a father displaced from Gaza City to al-Mawasi, dumped water over his head from a flimsy plastic bag, one of the vessels used to carry water in the camps.
“Outside the tents, it is hot, and inside the tents it is hot, so we are forced to drink this water wherever we go,” he said. Al-Dibs was among many who told the AP they knowingly drink nonpotable water.
Hosni Shaheen, whose family was also displaced from Khan Younis, already sees the water he drinks as a last resort. “It causes stomach cramps for adults and children, without exception,” he said. “You don’t feel safe when your children drink it.”
Israel orders forced displacement from parts of Gaza City’s Zeitoun area
About 45 minutes ago, Israeli quadcopters dropped leaflets ordering residents to leave the entire northeastern and part of the northwestern areas of the Zeitoun neighbourhood in Gaza City.
The order affects thousands of people who will now be scrambling to find shelter. This forced displacement comes a week into air strikes, heavy artillery attacks and up to 350 home demolitions in the northeastern and northwestern Zeitoun neighbourhood.
Witnesses describe Israeli attack on Gaza City school-turned shelter
At least seven Palestinians, including two children, were killed when Israeli forces hit the Musa bin Nusayr School in Gaza City’s Daraj neighbourhood, our reporters on the ground say, citing local officials.
“I had just sat down to charge my phone when suddenly a loud explosion shook the school,” said Samia Abu Amsha, a displaced Palestinian sheltering at the site. “Every mother was screaming, asking where her kids were. There were children among the dead, some just sleeping when it happened.”
Another survivor, Um Mahmoud Abu Amsha, said the attack came without warning.
“We were sitting safely, having lunch, feeling happy and at ease, when suddenly we heard a missile hit the school,” she said. “There were bodies on the ground, people torn apart. We always believed this school was safe … but it turned out it was not. This is the sixth time the school has been struck, and before, my daughters were among those killed.”
