– On Saturday night, water began rushing into Jaber al-Kaseeh’s tent in central Gaza’s az-Zawayda area, waking him and his family as heavy rain swept across Gaza.
asserted
rain → begin → Gaza
Soon the tent’s floor was flooded, soaking mattresses, carpets, blankets and spoiling what little food the family had managed to keep.
asserted
family → flood → food
“Everyone woke up and stayed awake, asking their neighbours about the extent of damage and inquiring about children,” Jaber, who is in his 70s, told Al Jazeera.
asserted
who → wake → Jazeera
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asserted
rains → leave → floods
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asserted
Eisenkot → form → opposition
He described the area outside the displacement camp, where thousands of Palestinians have taken refuge, as a swimming pool.
asserted
thousands → describe → pool
More than 70,000 tents have been flooded since heavy rains began late on Friday, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office.
uncertain
rains → flood → Office
Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are sheltering in locations considered “highly vulnerable” to more flooding.
asserted
thousands → displace → flooding
More than a year after the so-called “ceasefire” deal was signed between Israel and Hamas, Israel has continued to flout the terms of the agreement, blocking the entry of goods into Gaza, including 60,000 mobile homes and 200,000 tents.
asserted
Israel → call → homes
Only 20,000 tents have been allowed in, and mobile homes have remained parked on the Egyptian side of the border, many of them for more than two years.
asserted
homes → allow → years
This is the fourth winter for Jaber and his family living in a tent house in the az-Zawayda area.
asserted
This → live → area
Originally from Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, Jaber has been displaced several times, like most Palestinians since Israel launched its genocidal war on October 7, 2023.
asserted
Israel → displace → October
More than 90 percent of Palestinians have been displaced, many of them multiple times, by the war that has attracted global condemnation.
asserted
that → displace → condemnation
Jaber says his camp was flooded three or four times last winter, forcing many families to leave.
asserted
camp → say → families
Around 40 tents still remain there, but the latest flooding has left them in even worse condition.
asserted
flooding → remain → condition
“All the tents are now damaged, torn and covered in mud,” Jaber told Al Jazeera.
asserted
Jaber → damage → Jazeera
“We urgently need tents, tarpaulins, plastic sheets, mattresses, blankets and carpets to protect us from the difficult days ahead.
asserted
We → need → days
“We keep hearing about tents and tarpaulins being distributed, but we have received nothing.
asserted
we → hear → nothing
“We had hoped the mobile homes and temporary housing units promised under the ceasefire deal would allow us to rest and return to a life of safety and peace.
asserted
us → hop → safety
We have seen nothing.”
asserted
We → see → nothing
Promised shelter, unmet needs
Jaber’s experience reflects the wider shelter crisis facing displaced Palestinians across Gaza.
asserted
experience → promise → Gaza
Despite the “ceasefire” agreement, which included provisions for temporary housing units, tents and heavy machinery to clear rubble, large numbers of families remain in makeshift shelters exposed to winter weather.
asserted
numbers → include → weather
Under the first phase of the agreement, along with temporary housing units and tents, heavy equipment was also supposed to be allowed in to remove rubble and help restore damaged infrastructure.
asserted
equipment → suppose → infrastructure
But the arrival of mobile homes and heavy machinery has been delayed as Israel has found excuses to restrict their entry into the enclave of 2.3 million people.
asserted
Israel → delay → people
Trucks carrying mobile homes and equipment have reportedly been waiting on the Egyptian side of the border while Palestinians live in misery in dilapidated tent camps.
uncertain
Palestinians → carry → camps
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Gaza requires approximately 121,000 tents and 561,000 tarpaulins, while available stocks remain far below what is needed.
uncertain
what → accord → tents
For Om Hani Hamouda, a displaced woman from Beit Lahiya now sheltering in al-Zawayda, replacing her worn-out tent with a caravan has become a dream.
asserted
replacing → displace → caravan
“We did not expect that the first rainfall would leave us in this condition,” she told Al Jazeera.
asserted
she → expect → Jazeera
“These tents do not protect us from the cold, storms or rain.
asserted
tents → protect → cold
Whenever winter comes, everyone holds their breath.”
asserted
everyone → come → breath
Hamouda had hoped the ceasefire agreement would allow her family to return to northern Gaza or at least receive a caravan or building materials to secure better shelter.
asserted
family → hop → shelter
But she said there had been no sign of progress.
asserted
she → say → progress
“We are asking for a dignified life.
asserted
We → ask → life
We want these tents to be replaced with caravans.
asserted
tents → want → caravans
Even a simple caravan would be better,” she told Al Jazeera.
asserted
she → tell → Jazeera
Hamouda’s family has been displaced around 15 times during the war.
asserted
family → displace → war
She spent more than 15 years living and working in the United Arab Emirates before returning to Gaza nearly two years before the war began.
asserted
war → spend → Gaza
“My children cry because they miss the life we had there,” she said.
asserted
she → cry → life
Families left exposed to the rain
Ramy Abdu, chairman of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, told Al Jazeera that large quantities of tents, caravans, prefabricated housing units and shelter equipment remain stranded at Gaza’s borders because of Israeli restrictions.
asserted
quantities → leave → restrictions
He said that while more than 1.5 million displaced Palestinians were facing another winter in worn-out tents, even people living in houses and apartments remained exposed to the elements because of the extensive damage to homes and infrastructure.
asserted
people → say → homes
…and 17 more, not listed.
The Aporia
