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Middle East conflict

Eight Palestainians die of hypothermia in refugee camps in Gaza — TV

Meanwhile, heavy rains and flooding are making life for displaced Palestinians living in makeshift tents even more dire

DUBAI, January 2. /TASS/. Eight Palestinians died of hypothermia in refugee camps in the Gaza Strtip in the past two days, the Qatar-based Al Jazeera TV channel reported, citing Gazan health officials.

The seventh baby has died from hypothermia in Gaza, bringing the total death toll to eight. Meanwhile, heavy rains and flooding are making life for displaced Palestinians living in makeshift tents even more dire.

Palestine’s WAFA news agency reported, citing Gaza’s Civil Defense Directorate, that "accompanying torrential rains compounded the plight of tens of thousands of displaced families." Over 1,500 tents have been flooded in the enclave.

Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), earlier pointed to a critical situation in the enclave. According to him, "blankets, mattresses and other winter supplies have been stuck in the region for months waiting for approval to get into Gaza."

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking hostages. In response, Israel launched air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria, before starting a ground operation in the Palestinian enclave.

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