As the summer heat intensifies, the dilapidated tents in displacement camps in the Gaza Strip transform into veritable “closed ovens” under the scorching sun. Thousands of displaced people struggle to survive an increasingly harsh reality as the war continues and no alternative housing options offer any protection from the sweltering heat.
Inside these tents, made of thin fabrics and plastic sheeting that provides little protection from the heat, the displaced face a multitude of hardships. These range from suffocation and difficulty sleeping to skin diseases, dehydration, and fainting spells, particularly among children, the elderly, and pregnant women.
With no electricity, no fans, and no clean water, many displaced people are forced to spend long hours outside the tents to escape the heat. Their suffering is compounded by the spread of insects, foul odors, and the rapid spoilage of food due to the high temperatures.
Despite increasing humanitarian warnings about the dangerous conditions inside the shelters, the occupying state continues to prevent the entry of sufficient alternative housing, caravans and new tents, leaving hundreds of thousands of families trapped in an uninhabitable displacement environment as the summer approaches that looks set to be the harshest since the beginning of the war.
