‘Cold is death.’ For Gazans in flimsy tents, a winter of sorrow and loss.
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Ghada Abdulfattah Contributor
| Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip
December ended in tragedy for the Batran family, living in a flimsy tent on the coast of Deir al-Balah after escaping Israeli shelling in northern Gaza. One newborn son died of hypothermia. His twin is fighting for his life.
“I saw them dying. ... I felt helpless and hopeless,” says Nora al-Batran, while waiting for her baby to recover at Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah. “I am so tired.”
Why We Wrote This
A story focused onFor tens of thousands of Palestinian families forced from their homes by 15 months of war, the temporary shelters they have constructed are no match for Gaza’s winter winds and rain. Supplies are expensive. Infants are especially vulnerable.
For tens of thousands of Gaza Palestinians living in temporary shelters, winter has become a fight for survival. Their makeshift tents are woefully inadequate to confront the rain and temperatures below 46 degrees Fahrenheit at night.
Humanitarian groups warn they are struggling to bring winter clothes and shelters into the Gaza Strip due to Israeli restrictions. Gaza’s Health Ministry has reported the death of seven infants and one adult from hypothermia in the past three weeks.
“These deaths were preventable, had the items required to protect these children been accessible to their families,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Monday.
“Imagine watching your child die in front of you and feeling utterly powerless,” says Yahya al-Batran from his oceanside tent. “What can I do? Cold is death.”
December began as a month of joy for Yahya al-Batran and his wife, Nora, when they welcomed twin sons into the world: Jomaa and Ali.
“They were small, sweet, and beautiful,” Mr. Batran recalls.
The month ended in tragedy. Three weeks later, they buried Jomaa, who died from hypothermia Dec. 29 in their makeshift tent on the Deir al-Balah coast, in central Gaza. His twin, Ali, is fighting for his life in the intensive care unit.
Why We Wrote This
A story focused onFor tens of thousands of Palestinian families forced from their homes by 15 months of war, the temporary shelters they have constructed are no match for Gaza’s winter winds and rain. Supplies are expensive. Infants are especially vulnerable.
“I saw them dying. I cried; I wept. I felt helpless and hopeless,” Ms. Batran says while waiting Sunday for Ali to recover at the ICU at Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah. “I am so tired.”
After escaping an Israeli siege and shelling in northern Gaza, the family was felled by an unexpected danger: the cold.
“Imagine watching your child die in front of you and feeling utterly powerless,” says Mr. Batran from his tent in western Deir al-Balah. “What can I do? Cold is death.”
For tens of thousands of displaced Gaza Palestinians living in flimsy, temporary shelters, it has been a winter of sorrow and hardship.
Their deteriorating makeshift tents – patchworks of blankets, clothes, cardboard, and whatever materials displaced families can find – are woefully inadequate to confront the winter’s rains and temperatures below 46 degrees Fahrenheit at night.
Water seeps in from above and below. Strong winds have uprooted hundreds of tents on the coast, while surging waves and rain have flooded coastline camps, leaving families huddling under the open sky.
A fight for survival
With the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million people displaced multiple times by 15 months of Hamas’ war with Israel, families have inadequate clothing and illness is spreading.
Humanitarian groups warn they are struggling to bring winter clothes and shelters into the Gaza Strip due to Israeli restrictions.
Winter here has become a fight for survival, and death, residents say, is stalking tent camps.
Gaza’s Health Ministry has reported the death of seven infants and one adult from hypothermia in the past three weeks. Doctors Without Borders warns it expects more infants to be affected by hypothermia in the days ahead.
In a statement Saturday, UNRWA, the United Nations’ relief agency for Palestinians, said, “Babies and newborns in the Gaza Strip are dying from hypothermia because of the cold winter weather and lack of shelter, as supplies which would protect them have been stuck in the region for months waiting for approval from the Israeli authorities to get into Gaza.”
“These deaths were preventable, had the items required to protect these children been accessible to their families,” the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Monday.
Widespread malnutrition after a year of dwindling food supplies is another factor making this winter deadly.
“Being malnourished and exposed to the cold for extended periods increases the risk of various health conditions, particularly in children and other vulnerable communities,” says Dr. Abdulaziz Nahhal, a pediatrician at Nasser Hospital, in Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza.
“Hypothermia and malnutrition can severely impact mental health, as well as the functioning of the heart, lungs, and digestive system,” he adds.
Half the population in Gaza is under the age of 18.
“Will the rain not enter the tent?”
Facing the pounding winter waves of Deir al-Balah beach, Hadeel al-Kafarna and her husband, Nidal, work to fortify their leaking tent for their five children, ages 6 weeks to 9 years.
Mr. Kafarna grabs a secondhand gray blanket, its edges frayed, and an empty flour sack, to patch the roof.
“It is pointless,” he mutters in frustration, pointing to the water dripping inside, like icy needles. “Will the rain not enter the tent? It will.”
Ms. Kafarna digs through their belongings and hands her husband some clothes to stuff into the gaps between the tent’s wooden supports. “Here,” she says. “It is better than nothing.”
Despite their efforts, the couple can still feel the chill clinging to their children.
“Most of the time, we huddle together,” Ms. Kafarna says. “I am still afraid for my infant son, Yousuf. He is just 43 days old.”
In the most recent rain, days ago, it was too cold to lie down.
“My husband and I stayed up all night standing,” she recalls. “We could not sleep. It was too cold to stay in the tent. I kept holding Yousuf all night.”
An exorbitant cost for a used undershirt
The war economy is also compounding the winter crisis.
Amid the continuing Israeli siege, the prices for basic necessities like winter clothing and food have skyrocketed, sometimes tenfold.
The cost of a 24-square-meter tarpaulin has risen to between $110 and $170, while nylon sheets sell for $2.70 to $8.30 per square meter depending on the type.
“Even secondhand clothes are really expensive. A man asked me for 30 shekels [$8.30] for an undershirt, which is too expensive. I decided not to buy anything,” Ms. Kafarna says.
Their children have persistent coughs and other symptoms, but all the parents can do is huddle for warmth.
“We cannot light a fire at night,” Ms. Kafarna explains, her breath visible in the frigid tent. “There is no firewood, and the tent is made of wood and nylon; it could burn easily. A fire might ignite everything.”
Nearby, Fathiyya al-Banna rails against the cold in her own makeshift tent. Beside her is her husband, Hasan Mahmoud al-Banna. The older couple’s hardships are compounded by a lack of resources and Ms. Banna’s battle with an aggressive illness.
“My husband and I shake a lot during the night,” she says. “We’ve been through rough days, but we have never seen something like this before.”
In yet another flimsy tent, Niveen, who withholds her last name, lives with a son and four daughters – the youngest is 11 – and a grandson. Their journey over the course of the war has taken them from northern Gaza to Rafah, in the south, and finally to Deir al-Balah.
As the winter chill envelops them, Niveen and her 18-year-old son sew and patch their tent.
The family has placed seashells on the ground, an attempt to create a dry layer above the porous sand.
The coldest days of Gaza’s winter are expected to last until Jan. 31. Until then, without a heating source or winter clothes, Niveen encourages her children to rub their feet together to stay warm.
Taylor Luck contributed to this report from Amman, Jordan.
