‘We do not want to die from the cold’: Gaza families struggle as rain floods shelters

Mansour al-Sakni, 33, watched helplessly as rainwater flooded the makeshift shelter on the roof of a building in Gaza City's al-Tuffah neighbourhood, where he lives with his wife and four children.

The family had replaced their old tarpaulins with new ones just two weeks ago. Sakni had sold two water barrels so they could buy new sheets to keep them dry and sheltered.

But when the first winter storm swept across the Gaza Strip, the canopy offered little protection.

“We woke up and found ourselves surrounded by water. The children were crying. I did not know what to do, and I started crying too,” Sakni told Middle East Eye.