A powerful winter storm named Byron, which has already unleashed flooding and infrastructure damage in the region, is now heading toward the Gaza Strip, authorities have warned over mounting humanitarian risks for displaced Palestinians.
Gaza’s government cautioned that a polar storm expected over the next 72 hours threatens hundreds of thousands of already-displaced families, urging international intervention to prevent a further humanitarian disaster.
Heavy rains from the storm were forecast to begin later on Dec. 10, raising fears of widespread flooding in camps and shelters across the strip, where infrastructure has been heavily damaged during the Israeli attacks.
Families were scrambling to reinforce their makeshift shelters with plastic sheets, tightened stakes and sandbags in hopes of keeping out the rain.
Past storms have already displaced thousands whose tents or damaged homes were inundated, destroying their limited food and belongings.
Authorities say Israel’s restrictions on aid continue to block the entry of new tents and mobile homes, leaving more than 1.5 million people in worn-out shelters that offer little protection.
The Government Media Office also warned that the coming hours may bring “heartbreaking scenes” of families struggling to survive in tents that cannot withstand severe weather.
It blamed Israel’s siege and closure of crossings for preventing the entry of relief supplies, including 300,000 shelter units.
The warning came after the U.N. children’s agency said thousands of children in Gaza have been treated for acute malnutrition since the October ceasefire, which had been expected to open the way for a major scale-up in humanitarian aid.
According to UNICEF — the largest provider of malnutrition treatment in the territory — 9,300 children received care for severe acute malnutrition in October, coinciding with the first phase of the agreement aimed at ending the two-year Israel-Hamas war.
Although this figure is lower than the more than 14,000 recorded in August, it remains well above levels seen during the short February–March truce and shows that aid deliveries are still falling short, UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram told reporters in Geneva via video link from Gaza.
"It's still a shockingly high number," she said.
