Gaza, the Norwegian Council for Refugees denounces: over one hundred and twenty thousand Palestinians spend the winter in houses without windows and without doors

ROME – Many families have to take in relatives who themselves have lost their homes, resulting in overcrowded conditions and an increased risk of illnesses related to winter temperatures. While building materials are available in Gaza, most residents cannot afford to buy them to carry out the repairs or improvements needed to make their homes habitable, denounces the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

Sleeping in rooms without a roof. Children in Gaza today go to bed in rooms exposed to changes in the weather. Some families use thin blankets to cover broken windows. The humanitarian crisis has worsened due to inflation triggered by the conflict in Ukraine, comments Caroline Ort, Palestine Country Director for the NRC extension. Some residents told the Norwegian Council for Refugees who burn their old clothes to keep warm. But these extreme measures increase health and safety risks, including starting a fire. Furthermore, the roofs of the houses tend to collapse because they are unable to withstand the most violent storms.

What happened. Since November 2022, Gaza has experienced heavy and intermittent rains that have accumulated in Israeli-controlled reservoirs near the Strip. Between 24 and 26 December 2022, Israeli authorities opened the dam gates and levees along the perimeter fence in eastern Gaza. The central and southern areas of the Strip filled with rainwater, which even submerged many houses in neighborhoods of the Deir al-Balah governorate in central Gaza City. The al-Bureij refugee camp is also located in this area. The floods also damaged several hectares of farmland and peasant houses in the al-Qarara neighborhood of Khan Younis governorate in southern Gaza.

The witness. “I never imagined that one day my house would be flooded,” said Sultan, whose three-room home in central Gaza was submerged by the flood after Israel opened its dams. “I had to make a hole in the wall to let the water out. The house became a puddle of mud. Everything was flooded: the furniture, the blankets, the mattresses”.

What could happen. As the rains are expected to continue into April, there is a risk that Israel could reopen the gates of the dams, exacerbating the flood situation in already affected areas.

Unexploded bombs. Due to the intermittent clashes that have taken place in the Strip in recent years, the territory is contaminated by a significant number of explosive remnants of war (ERW). About one million people live in areas at risk of ERW. Less than 20 per cent of flood-affected, and now largely displaced households, have received information or training on ERW risks.

The daily difficulties in Gaza. Electricity shortages remain a major concern for more than two million people, as power outages occur up to twelve hours a day. The official price of heating oil has increased by $0.21 per liter over the past year, reaching $1.77 per liter in January 2023. Thus the cost of energy is out of reach for most of the population.

The water problem. The intensification of hostilities in the Strip in May 2021 damaged at least 290 water structures, including water wells, pumping stations and distribution networks. The conflict has left 1.2 million Palestinians with limited access to water services. Only 4.3 percent of the water in the Gaza Strip is fit for human consumption. To survive, families are forced to buy water from unregulated private sellers who do not always treat the water to make it clean. About 24 percent of people in the Gaza Strip cannot afford clean water.

The refugee camps. Of the 2.1 million people living in the Gaza Strip, 1.4 million are Palestinian refugees. There are five refugee camps located within Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis governorates in Gaza. Al-Bureij refugee camp was built in the 1950s to house 13,000 refugees, but in 2017 it was hosting more than 28,000. The Deir al-Balah camp is the smallest in the Strip. It was established in 1949 to accommodate around 9,000 people; as of January 2021, 25,500 refugees were registered there. Khan Younis camp was also built after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war to accommodate 35,000 Palestinian refugees. In 2023 it is expected to host over 48,500 refugees.