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©(Mahmud Hams, AFP)
Thousands of displaced Palestinians, fleeing homes and shelters, seek refuge in Rafah's makeshift camp, facing dire conditions worsened by rain, while the Israeli army continues to target the area.
After fleeing their homes in the north and then their shelters in the major city of Khan Younes, tens of thousands of Palestinians are now seeking refuge in Rafah, further south, near the Egyptian border. This area has turned into a massive camp with hundreds of makeshift tents crafted from pieces of wood or sheets.
Adding to the challenges is the rain falling on Rafah, where displaced individuals are trying to find shelter under makeshift plastic tarps. “All the tents are flooded with water. We do not know what to do. As you can see, we're using this board to shield the furnace from damage, along with the tarp we've placed above. I swear to God, the conditions here are extremely challenging,” said Ihab Abu Jof, a 23-year-old Palestinian, who has shielded his makeshift stove with a sheet of metal and a tarp.
A Palestinian boy attempts to get water out after raining at a camp for displaced people in Rafah, on December 13, 2023. (Mahmud Hams, AFP)
The UN estimates that 1.9 million of Gaza's 2.4 million people have been displaced by the conflict, half of them children. Aid groups have warned that the territory will soon be overwhelmed by starvation and disease and are pleading with Israel to boost efforts to protect civilians.
“The spread of diseases in Gaza has reportedly intensified, especially due to overcrowded living conditions, which adds to the strain on an increasingly overwhelmed health system and an increased risk of people dying,” the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest update.
Makeshift toilets are pictured at a camp for displaced people in Rafah, on December 13, 2023. (Mahmud Hams, AFP)
Jack Koury, a Haaretz journalist in Gaza, published on X, “Most of the attention is focused on the battles, the losses, the targets, and the statements, and the debate about the day after, but for hundreds of thousands to get a standard tent is like getting a villa. Most of the time there are no tents, and on a rainy day like this, the situation is deplorable. In Gaza, there are also queues, and [people] standing for hours to get pita (bread) or a bag of flour [or] even charge the phone.”
Despite the presence of these displaced individuals, the Israeli army continues to target Rafah, where strikes on two houses resulted in 24 deaths on Tuesday, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza.
Miroslava Salazar, with AFP
After fleeing their homes in the north and then their shelters in the major city of Khan Younes, tens of thousands of Palestinians are now seeking refuge in Rafah, further south, near the Egyptian border. This area has turned into a massive camp with hundreds of makeshift tents crafted from pieces of wood or sheets.
Adding to the challenges is the rain falling on Rafah, where displaced individuals are trying to find shelter under makeshift plastic tarps. “All the tents are flooded with water. We do not know what to do. As you can see, we're using this board to shield the furnace from damage, along with the tarp we've placed above. I swear to God, the conditions here are extremely challenging,” said Ihab Abu Jof, a 23-year-old Palestinian, who has shielded his makeshift stove with a sheet of metal and a tarp.
A Palestinian boy attempts to get water out after raining at a camp for displaced people in Rafah, on December 13, 2023. (Mahmud Hams, AFP)The UN estimates that 1.9 million of Gaza's 2.4 million people have been displaced by the conflict, half of them children. Aid groups have warned that the territory will soon be overwhelmed by starvation and disease and are pleading with Israel to boost efforts to protect civilians.
“The spread of diseases in Gaza has reportedly intensified, especially due to overcrowded living conditions, which adds to the strain on an increasingly overwhelmed health system and an increased risk of people dying,” the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest update.
Makeshift toilets are pictured at a camp for displaced people in Rafah, on December 13, 2023. (Mahmud Hams, AFP)Jack Koury, a Haaretz journalist in Gaza, published on X, “Most of the attention is focused on the battles, the losses, the targets, and the statements, and the debate about the day after, but for hundreds of thousands to get a standard tent is like getting a villa. Most of the time there are no tents, and on a rainy day like this, the situation is deplorable. In Gaza, there are also queues, and [people] standing for hours to get pita (bread) or a bag of flour [or] even charge the phone.”
תיעוד שיוצא מרצועת עזה הבוקר.רוב תשומת הלב ממוקדת בקרבות,באבידות במטרות ובהצהרות והוויכוח על היום שאחרי,אבל עבור מאות אלפים לקבל אוהל תקני זה כמו וילה.לרוב אין אוהלים וביום גשום כזה המצב מחפיר.בעזה יש גם טורים ולעמוד שעות כדי לקבל פיתה או שקית קמח ואפילו להטעין את הטלפון. pic.twitter.com/JcYjlDBRvp
— Jack khoury.جاك خوري (@KhJacki) December 13, 2023
Despite the presence of these displaced individuals, the Israeli army continues to target Rafah, where strikes on two houses resulted in 24 deaths on Tuesday, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza.
Miroslava Salazar, with AFP
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