Severe storms and high tides destroyed camps for displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis on Sunday, worsening the humanitarian crisis for thousands of people already forced to stay on the coastline by Israeli military operations, Anadolu reports.

Khan Younis Mayor Alaaddin al-Batta said thousands of families lost their tents due to the bad weather. “These families are trying to find basic shelter,” El-Batta said, warning that the harsh weather conditions ahead are likely to leave thousands more exposed in the coming days.

Gaza has been affected since Saturday by a polar low-pressure system, the third of the winter season, which is bringing torrential rain and strong winds.

Gaza has struggled to survive severe weather in recent months, as two previous weather depressions caused the deaths of 17 Palestinians, including four children, due to the collapse of buildings already damaged by Israeli bombardment and the flooding and uprooting of tens of thousands of displaced tents.

The weather conditions pose great danger to displaced Palestinians living in old tents or badly damaged high-risk buildings, which have been under repeated Israeli attacks since October last year 2023.

The Israeli military has killed more than 71,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,200 others since October 2023 in the Gaza Strip in a brutal assault that left the enclave in ruins.

Source: prizrenpost