The beaches of Gaza, once a haven for day trips, have transformed into makeshift shelters for tens of thousands of displaced residents. With nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million population forced to flee their homes, the coastal stretch now bears the brunt of a humanitarian catastrophe exacerbated by war and severe winter conditions.
The United Nations reports that nine out of ten displaced people are living in tents, many of which are ill-equipped to withstand the harsh elements. Torrential rain and pounding winter seas have left families drenched and vulnerable.
“Nothing is left in the tent: not mattresses, bedding, bread—everything was taken. The sea took it,” said Mohammed al-Halabi, a resident of Deir al-Balah. In one harrowing incident, a two-month-old child was rescued after being swept out to sea.
Residents face plummeting temperatures, widespread illness, and floods of rainwater mixed with sewage. In Khan Younis, Shaima Issa described the unbearable conditions: “My children’s feet, their heads—everything is freezing. My daughter has a fever because of the cold. We’re essentially living on the streets.”
Her neighbor, Salwa Abu Nimer, tearfully recounted their daily struggles: “The heavy rain floods us, and we don’t have a waterproof cover. The water seeps into the tent, and we wear our clothes wet. What is this life I’m living? I go to the ends of the earth just to feed my children.”
The situation is equally grim across central and southern Gaza, where long queues form daily for charity handouts. Crowds jostle outside bakeries, with many leaving empty-handed.
“I need bread so that I can feed the orphans I take care of,” said Hanan al-Shamali, a displaced resident of Deir al-Balah. “Sometimes I get it, but most of the time, I don’t.”
Meanwhile, the UN warns of catastrophic shortages of medicines, food, shelter, and fuel. Antoine Renard, the local head of the UN’s World Food Programme, described the crisis as unprecedented: “The levels of hunger, devastation, and destruction we are seeing now in Gaza are worse than ever before. People cannot cope anymore.”
Efforts to deliver humanitarian aid have been fraught with challenges. At the Kerem Shalom crossing, Israel’s main entry point for goods into Gaza, aid has been bottlenecked. Israeli officials blame distribution issues within Gaza, while humanitarian workers report looting of supplies by armed gangs. This lawlessness has forced UNRWA, the largest UN agency in Gaza, to halt deliveries via this route.
As the war drags on, Gazans face an uncertain future with no immediate prospects for relief. With harsh winter conditions setting in, the ongoing conflict continues to compound the suffering of a population struggling for survival.
The international community has been called upon to address the dire humanitarian situation, but for now, the people of Gaza are left to endure unimaginable hardship as they await aid and an end to the violence.