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BREAKING
Israeli media: One soldier killed, 11 wounded during the security incident in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, and the fate of the 4 soldiers remains unknown
Israeli media: IOF withdraw from Al-Zaytoun neighborhood
Israeli media: Face-to-face clashes with machine guns between Hamas and Israeli forces in Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City
Israeli media: Helicopters sent to evacuate troops from Al-Zaytoun are under heavy fire
Israeli media: A new security incident at an additional location in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City
Israeli media: Search for 4 missing soldiers in Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City.
Israeli media platform: In the second incident, two injured people were transported from Gaza, and we are awaiting the authorities to notify the families to provide additional details shortly
Israeli media platform: 3 security incidents reported in Gaza
Israeli media platform: A serious incident in Gaza... A dead soldier was evacuated under fire... and an additional evacuation helicopter was dispatched
Israeli media outlet: Fierce battles ongoing between our forces and "militants" in the Gaza Strip

Displaced Palestinians dig trenches to shelter from cold, airstrikes

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 11 Jan 2025 22:30
2 Min Read

"If an explosion happened around us and the soil collapsed, this shelter would become our grave," Palestinian father Tayseer said.

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  • Palestinian father Tayseer Obeid who was displaced with his family from the North of the besieged Gaza Strip
    Palestinian father Tayseer Obeid who was displaced with his family from the North of the besieged Gaza Strip, prepares to dig a trench in his tent in an attempt to protect his children from the cold and Israeli strikes in his makeshift camp in Deir el-Balah, January 8, 2025. (AFP)

As temperatures plunge and heavy rains batter war-torn central Gaza, displaced families are resorting to desperate measures to survive. In Deir el-Balah, Tayseer Obaid, a Palestinian father, has dug an underground shelter for his family, attempting to create a safer and more comfortable space amidst the chaos.

Speaking to AFP, Obaid described how he began digging into the clay soil to expand their limited living area. "I had an idea to dig into the ground to expand the space as it was very limited," he explained.

Over time, he dug nearly two meters deep, adding mattresses for comfort and using flour sacks filled with sand to pave the entry and prevent mud from accumulating. Despite these efforts, he acknowledges the risks, saying, "If an explosion happened around us and the soil collapsed, this shelter would become our grave."

كنت قاعدة مرا جوا حوش الدار (طيور الجنة ) pic.twitter.com/yHy4mJj2ND

— Tayseer Obaid | تيسير عبيد (@tayseerobaid88) December 30, 2024

Related News

Fierce resistance ambushes target IOF in al-Zaytoun, Gaza City

YAF Chief of Staff: Israeli strikes on Sanaa not to go unpunished

The war, now in its 14th month, has displaced nearly all of Gaza's 2.4 million residents. According to UNOSAT, 66% of the territory's buildings have been damaged or destroyed by relentless airstrikes. With construction materials scarce due to the complete blockade, displaced families are forced to rely on improvised shelters in overcrowded camps.

Read more: Gaza death toll 40% higher than official figures, Lancet study reveals

The situation has been further exacerbated by freezing winter weather.

On Thursday, the UN's Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) reported the tragic deaths of eight newborns from  hypothermia and 74 children succumbing to the brutal conditions.

"We enter this New Year carrying the same horrors as the last -- there's been no progress and no solace. Children are now freezing to death," said UNRWA spokeswoman Louise Wateridge.

Since the start of the war, at least 46,537 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, have been killed, according to figures from Gaza's health ministry. The humanitarian crisis continues to deepen, with no end to the suffering in sight.

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