Life at Risk for Gaza Displaced, Cyclone ‘Byron’ Brings New Fear

Dec 12, 2025
International

Image: A woman shelters children in a temporary camp for displaced Palestinians after heavy rain in Gaza City (Collected. Al Jazeera. AFP)

International Desk: PNN

More than 1.5 million people in Gaza’s large displacement camps are living under plastic sheets and torn tents. Ongoing Israeli attacks, destruction, food shortages, and disorder are compounded by Cyclone “Byron,” creating new risks.

The storm poses not only bad weather but a life-threatening challenge for displaced residents. Heavy rain and wind threaten flooding and damage in low-lying, makeshift shelters.

Most tents are poorly constructed from debris and plastic. Muddy paths, broken drains, and limited resources force families to face the storm with minimal protection. “When the wind starts, we all hold the tent poles to prevent collapse,” says Hani Ziyara from West Gaza.

Food, water, and shelter supplies are limited. Many families lack adequate water or food even for a few days. “We want to prepare, but how? We don’t have what we need,” says Morvit, a mother.

Even limited preparations rely heavily on community solidarity. Neighbors help each other, youth gather wood and metal to reinforce tents, and women organize cooking for children and the elderly.

Physical and mental stress is high. Many lament, “Our tent is destroyed. We are completely exhausted. Every day brings a new fear: hunger, cold, disease, and now the storm.”

Stones and sandbags are used to strengthen tents against wind and rain. Some families try to keep children in drier corners, but many have no real plan and just wait.

Displaced Gazans recognize that the storm is not a one-night event but a harsh reminder of life’s fragility. Survival now depends less on preparation and more on endurance.