In Gaza, Weather Causes a Quandary: Where to Shelter?

Homes damaged in Israel's strikes on Gaza are now giving way under winter storms, killing people who had fled to them after their tents were destroyed. Torrential rain and cold linked to last week's Storm Byron have triggered a new wave of disaster, with Gaza's government media office reporting at least 11 people killed and one missing in collapses of bomb-damaged structures. Authorities say more than a dozen buildings have fallen and over 27,000 tents have been washed away or flooded, leaving displaced residents to choose between unsafe ruins and open-air exposure, reports the CBC.

Al-Jazeera breaks down the situation: Thousands of residential buildings experienced "cracks in columns and foundations, separation of load-bearing walls and partial roof collapses." Heavy rain only makes things worse, with water entering those cracks and weakening those columns and foundations, while also eroding the ground they stand on. The risk is compounded by the fact that multiple families often end up crowding into one structure, further stressing it.

On Tuesday, the top floor of a two-story house in northwest Gaza City, previously hit by Israeli strikes, partially collapsed, killing a man and badly injuring five relatives, according to local authorities. One father, Mohammad Nassar, returned from buying supplies to find the six-story building where his family had taken shelter reduced to rubble; his 15-year-old son and 18-year-old daughter were among the dead. Palestinian Civil Defence officials warn many war-damaged structures remain at risk and say their teams are working with "very basic" rescue equipment.

The UN and Palestinian authorities estimate roughly 300,000 new tents are urgently needed for some 1.5 million displaced people, while Gaza's Civil Defence is urging the delivery of sturdier mobile homes instead. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini says needed supplies have been stuck outside Gaza for months and that people are "freezing to death" in collapsing shelters. Israel's COGAT office, a military arm that oversees humanitarian issues, disputes UN claims, saying about 310,000 tents and tarps have "lately" entered Gaza.