As temperatures plunge and heavy rains batter war-torn central Gaza, displaced families are resorting to desperate measures to survive. In Deir el-Balah, Tayseer Obaid, a Palestinian father, has dug an underground shelter for his family, attempting to create a safer and more comfortable space amidst the chaos.
Speaking to AFP, Obaid described how he began digging into the clay soil to expand their limited living area. “I had an idea to dig into the ground to expand the space as it was very limited,” he explained.
Over time, he dug nearly two meters deep, adding mattresses for comfort and using flour sacks filled with sand to pave the entry and prevent mud from accumulating. Despite these efforts, he acknowledges the risks, saying, “If an explosion happened around us and the soil collapsed, this shelter would become our grave.”
The war, now in its 14th month, has displaced nearly all of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents. According to UNOSAT, 66% of the territory’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed by relentless airstrikes. With construction materials scarce due to the complete blockade, displaced families are forced to rely on improvised shelters in overcrowded camps.
The situation has been further exacerbated by freezing winter weather.
On Thursday, the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) reported the tragic deaths of eight newborns from hypothermia and 74 children succumbing to the brutal conditions.
“We enter this New Year carrying the same horrors as the last — there’s been no progress and no solace. Children are now freezing to death,” said UNRWA spokeswoman Louise Wateridge.
Since the start of the war, at least 46,537 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, have been killed, according to figures from Gaza’s health ministry. The humanitarian crisis continues to deepen, with no end to the suffering in sight.