Winter weather compounds misery for Palestinians

By Nathan Morley

A sudden cold spell has worsened the conditions for thousands of Palestinians, currently living in camps and tents.

Weather conditions here in the Mediterranean have changed dramatically over the last few days, as colder winter temperatures descend on the region. In Gaza, a heavy storm worsened the conditions for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have fled their homes and are living in makeshift camps and shelters.

Amid all this misery, Israel continues it bombardment by conducting 250 strikes in the past 24 hours.

Hamas say 50 Palestinian civilians were killed. At the same time, Israel’s army reportedly lost 10 soldiers in fighting in Gaza on Tuesday - the deadliest day for the armed forces since its ground offensive was launched.

Demand for ceasefire

In other developments, at a vote in New York, the United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly adopted a non-binding resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.

At the same time, Israel is looking increasingly isolated after US President Joe Biden issued his shrillest critique of the country to date, saying it was starting to lose global support over its "indiscriminate bombing" of Gaza.

The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza says more than 18,000 people have been killed since Israel launched its campaign. It began bombing the Gaza Strip after Hamas killed more than 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostage in early October.