Harsh winter weather in the Gaza Strip is exacerbating the suffering of civilians after more than two years of Zionist aggression, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Sunday. “More rain. More human misery, despair and death,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a post on X, warning that displaced Palestinians are struggling to survive amid worsening conditions.
Lazzarini said Gazans are living in flimsy, waterlogged tents and among ruins, stressing that humanitarian aid is not being allowed in at the scale required to meet urgent needs. He added that UNRWA could significantly expand its relief efforts immediately if sufficient aid were permitted to enter the enclave. Separately, the Palestinian government said Gaza urgently needs around 200,000 prefabricated housing units to shelter displaced people as severe weather continues to batter the territory.
According to the government’s operations room, the latest weather system has flooded and blown away thousands of displacement tents, further intensifying the humanitarian emergency. Gaza has been hit since Saturday by a polar low-pressure system—the third of the winter season—bringing heavy rain and strong winds. Two earlier weather depressions caused the deaths of 17 Palestinians, including four children, due to collapsing, bomb-damaged buildings and widespread flooding of tents. Since October 2023, Zionist aggression has killed more than 71,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,200 others, leaving much of Gaza in ruins and its displaced population highly vulnerable to extreme weather.
