In southern Gaza’s Al-Mawasi, the tents are sweltering prisons. Under a merciless heatwave pushing temperatures to 40°C, the fabric walls trap the day’s heat like ovens, while the plastic roofs radiate it back at night. For families already shattered by war and repeated displacement, summer feels like another weapon in a campaign that has stripped them of home, safety, and dignity.

Mothers place their children in basins of water to soothe sunburned skin, while others fan the stifling air with cardboard scraps. For many, this is the third summer in tents after losing their homes to Israeli bombardment. The winter floods that once drowned them now seem almost merciful compared to the choking heat and relentless thirst. Water is scarce, and each journey to fetch it under the blazing sun is another test of endurance.

With over 80% of Gaza’s population now living in makeshift shelters, the suffocating heat compounds the misery of hunger, overcrowding, and fear. Aid workers say there is no sign of permanent shelter being allowed in, as Israel continues to destroy homes and block the entry of materials. Since October 2023, more than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed, tens of thousands wounded, and entire neighbourhoods erased, and those who survive must now battle not only the bombs but a heatwave that makes every breath feel heavier. In the words of one displaced man: “Some burn from the sun, others from the strikes, but all of us are burning.”