The suffering of displaced people in Gaza’s refugee camps is worsening with the rising summer temperatures, exacerbated by the ongoing displacement and the scarcity of basic services. The tents have become suffocating spaces lacking cooling and protection, while residents face harsh conditions daily, compounded by the intense heat, the spread of insects and rodents, and shortages of water and electricity.
Displaced people told Al Jazeera Mubasher that the tents, which are supposed to provide minimal shelter, have become like closed ovens, offering no protection from the scorching sun and no decent living environment. This forces many to spend long hours outside in search of a breath of fresh air, despite the inherent dangers.
A 90-year-old woman described life inside the camp as “hell,” emphasizing that she suffers from chronic illnesses, most notably diabetes and high blood pressure, in addition to having previously undergone open-heart surgery, making it extremely difficult to endure the high temperatures.
The suffering of displaced people in Gaza’s refugee camps is worsening with the rising summer temperatures, exacerbated by the ongoing displacement and the scarcity of basic services. The tents have become suffocating spaces lacking cooling and protection, while residents face harsh conditions daily, compounded by the intense heat, the spread of insects and rodents, and shortages of water and electricity.
Displaced people told Al Jazeera Mubasher that the tents, which are supposed to provide minimal shelter, have become like closed ovens, offering no protection from the scorching sun and no decent living environment. This forces many to spend long hours outside, searching for a breath of fresh air, despite the inherent dangers.
A 90-year-old woman described life inside the camp as “hell,” emphasizing that she suffers from chronic illnesses, most notably diabetes and high blood pressure, in addition to having previously undergone open-heart surgery. This makes enduring the high temperatures extremely difficult. She explained that the extreme heat causes her health to deteriorate repeatedly, to the point that she has been hospitalized several times due to high blood sugar and exhaustion, before being returned to the tent, which offers her no protection whatsoever. She also complains of rodent infestations inside the tents, emphasizing that they constantly invade sleeping quarters, along with mosquitoes and other insects. The tattered plastic sheeting offers no protection from the scorching heat or the threat of these widespread pests.
She adds that life inside the camp is devoid of any sense of security or dignity, and that scenes of death and funerals have become a daily occurrence, with no hope of a return to normalcy in the near future.
