Gaza Herald – A catastrophic weather system pounded the Gaza Strip, unleashing flooding, tornado-force winds, and collapsing already-bombed buildings, leaving one and a half million displaced Palestinians exposed with no protection. Authorities confirm 12 casualties, including victims and missing persons, as the polar storm “Byron” devastates every governorate.
More than 27,000 tents, home to families displaced for over two years, have been swept away or flooded, while at least 13 destroyed or previously bombed homes collapsed overnight. Civil Defense teams are overwhelmed with hundreds of emergency calls amid relentless rain, surging sea waves, and life-threatening structural failures.
Officials warned that this humanitarian collapse is inseparable from the ongoing genocide and the Israeli occupation’s blockade, which continues to block all shelter materials, prevent the entry of 300,000 urgently needed tents and caravans, and deny any preparation of safe alternative shelters.
The Government Media Office calls on the UN, international actors, mediators, and donor states to force the occupation to open the crossings immediately, allow life-saving shelter and rescue supplies in, and take urgent measures to protect hundreds of thousands of families as the storm intensifies.
