Two airstrikes by Israeli forces on Monday claimed the lives of at least 10 Palestinians, including four children, in the central Gaza Strip, according to medical sources quoted by Reuters. This tragedy unfolded amid heavy rains that inundated the makeshift tent encampments of displaced residents.
The ongoing military operations in Gaza, now nearing a year, continue despite shifting international focus towards the escalating conflict in Lebanon and northern Israel involving Hezbollah.
Palestinian health officials reported that five of the casualties occurred at a school in Nuseirat, one of Gaza’s eight historic refugee camps, where many displaced individuals had sought shelter. The Israeli military stated that the strike targeted a Hamas command center located within a compound that had previously functioned as a school.
In a separate incident later that day, an Israeli airstrike on a residence in Deir Al-Balah, where a million people have taken refuge, resulted in the deaths of a woman and four children. The Israeli military had not issued an immediate response regarding this attack.
Hamas’ armed wing claimed responsibility for ambushing an Israeli convoy near Rafah city, using anti-tank rockets and previously planted explosives. The Israeli military did not provide a comment on this incident either.
More misery
The heavy rains have intensified the suffering of Gaza’s displaced population. Overnight downpours caused severe flooding, damaging tents and disrupting the lives of families trying to sleep. Some residents attempted to mitigate the flooding by placing buckets on the ground and digging trenches to divert water.
Ahmed Al-Burai, a 30-year-old resident from Al-Mawasi, described the dire conditions to Reuters. Many tents are made from repurposed flour sacks, worn clothing, and nylon bags, which were quickly overwhelmed by the rain. “Everything is drowned—blankets, food, and people—in just a few hours,” he shared.
The cost of new tents and plastic sheeting has skyrocketed, making it increasingly difficult for the displaced to find adequate shelter. Al-Burai noted that the price of plastic sheeting rose from 100 to 200 shekels (approximately $27 to $54) to as much as 700 to 800 shekels ($189 to $216) in a matter of days due to price gouging.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) emphasized the urgent need for more shelters and supplies as winter approaches. “As autumn begins, plastic and fabric are insufficient to protect people from rain and cold,” the agency stated on X.
The conflict has displaced the majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, with Israeli airstrikes reducing much of the enclave to rubble. According to the Gaza health ministry, over 41,300 Palestinians have died since the beginning of the hostilities.
This latest wave of violence marks the deadliest phase in the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, sparked by a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the kidnapping of around 250 individuals, according to Israeli reports.
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