Prolonged Warfare Leaves Residents Without Shelter or Basic Necessities

Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal stated in a press release received by Anadolu Agency that Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are facing extremely difficult and tragic humanitarian situations, with tens of thousands still homeless and lacking the most basic necessities of life.

Basal noted that the region is exposed to several weather depressions, posing significant danger to hundreds of thousands of citizens residing in tents or dilapidated homes, amid severe cold and heavy rainfall.

He added that large amounts of remnants from Israeli bombings are still scattered in the streets, under rubble, and in destroyed buildings, posing a continuous threat to civilians, especially children and the elderly.

Mahmoud Basal called on the international community and human rights organizations to intervene urgently, requesting the provision of immediate humanitarian aid to save the lives of thousands of Palestinians facing harsh conditions without shelter or protection.

In recent days, Palestinian returnees to the Gaza and northern governorates have spent their days in tragic conditions, with some sleeping in the open while others have been forced to seek refuge in remaining mosques and destroyed schools, according to the government’s media office in the region.

Last Monday, Palestinian returnees began moving from the southern and central governorates to the Gaza and northern governorates through the Netzarim axis via Al-Rashid coastal road for pedestrians and Salah al-Din road for vehicles after undergoing security inspections, as stipulated by the ceasefire agreement.

Last Thursday, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, stated that Israel, by committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, has caused destruction in the region not seen since World War II between 1939 and 1945.

In an interview with Anadolu Agency, Rajagopal pointed out that the destruction in the Gaza Strip is unprecedented in terms of its scale, brutality, and immense impact on the Palestinians living there.

On January 19, the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and the prisoner exchange between the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, came into effect.

The agreement consists of three phases, each lasting 42 days, during which negotiations will take place to initiate the second and third phases, leading to the end of the war of extermination.

With American support, between October 7, 2023, and January 19, 2025, Israel committed genocide in the Gaza Strip, resulting in more than 159,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, over 14,000 missing persons, and massive destruction of homes and infrastructure.