The Gaza Municipality reported on Friday that the stormy low pressure system hitting the Strip caused dozens of tents housing displaced people whose homes were destroyed by Israel over the course of more than 15 months of war to fly away and sink.

Municipality spokesman, Hosni Mahna, said, "Rainwater and strong winds swept through shelters and temporary camps, causing dozens of tents to fly away and water to enter a number of others, in light of Gaza City's need for 120,000 tents or suitable shelter units."

He stated that thousands of people, including children, women and the elderly, were forced to spend the night hours "in the bitter cold and in light of the severe shortage of heating methods, which increased their suffering in light of a difficult humanitarian reality that lacks the minimum requirements for a decent life," according to what was reported by the Anadolu Agency.

Mahna said that the municipality teams are closely monitoring the situation despite the difficult circumstances that Gaza City is going through, but the almost non-existent capabilities due to the widespread destruction of the infrastructure during the genocide make the immediate response to the needs of the displaced a major challenge.

He added, "What we are witnessing today is a real humanitarian disaster. Families who lost their homes are living in tragic conditions, and there are no real solutions to protect them from the harsh winter cold."

Mahna pointed out that the displaced people are in dire need of "safer tents, winter blankets, heating equipment and food supplies, to help them cope with these harsh conditions."

He called on international and humanitarian institutions to "take urgent action to save thousands of families suffering from unprecedented conditions."

He pointed out that the sector is facing "a worsening humanitarian crisis, as the needs of the displaced increase day after day in light of the ongoing blockade and the difficulty of delivering aid, which requires a rapid international response to reduce this ongoing suffering."

Dozens of displaced people were blown away and drowned in the central and southern governorates of the Gaza Strip, due to the low pressure system accompanied by storms and heavy rains, which has been hitting the Gaza Strip since Wednesday evening.

This depression has exacerbated the suffering of thousands of displaced people, who lost their homes during the genocide and are living in harsh humanitarian conditions due to the lack of basic supplies, winter blankets, and heating means.

Although tens of thousands of Palestinians have returned to their areas of residence, they were shocked by the extent of the destruction left by the Israeli army, as some of them re-erected dilapidated displacement tents near the ruins of their homes.

On January 19, a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and a prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel came into effect. It includes three stages, each lasting 42 days. During the first, negotiations will be held to start the second and third, with the mediation of Egypt and Qatar and the support of the United States.

Between October 7, 2023 and January 19, 2025, Israel, with American support, committed genocide in Gaza, leaving more than 159,000 dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 14,000 missing.