When Maryam Arafat, together with her husband and their three young children, fled Gaza City to escape the Israeli bombardment, the harsh winter weather added to their challenges. They sought shelter in a makeshift tent in Deir al Balah, enduring freezing nights without proper heating or sufficient warm clothing.
As the days passed and the weather turned hot and humid in the coastal Gaza Strip, the same tent became unbearable for the family. Maryam, 23, described the suffocating heat, saying, “The tent feels like it’s on fire. It’s so hot you can’t bear it, especially with young children.” Her one-year-old son, Yahya, cried in discomfort.
With nearly two million Palestinians in Gaza forced to leave their homes during the cold weather, the makeshift tents provided little protection against the low temperatures. To stay warm, many resorted to cutting down trees for heating and cooking, further depleting the already scarce greenery in the area.
Now, as the scorching sun beats down, there are few trees remaining to offer shade, and temperatures have soared to a high of 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit). Scott Anderson, the deputy director of UNRWA operations in Gaza, emphasized the urgent need to address both the extreme temperatures and the risk of disease outbreaks among the displaced population.
