Scorching heat, water shortages deepen hardship in Gaza tent camps.

SHOTLIST GAZA STRIP, PALESTINE (JULY 12, 2026) 1. VARIOUS OF DISPLACED PALESTINIANS AT EGYPTIANS CAMP IN CENTRAL GAZA 2. VARIOUS OF WOMEN TRYING TO COOL CHILDREN WITH WATER AND HANDHELD FANS 3. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN ABU MOHAMMAD AL-BALBISI, SAYING: "We are in Camp 9, the Egyptians' camp. We are suffering because of the heat, the mosquitoes, the tents we are living in, and the rats. We suffer from rats, insects and cockroaches. There are cockroaches everywhere. There are insects everywhere. There is grass all around us, and that grass brings insects, rats and all kinds of pests. We have complained many times, but no one responds. There is no electricity, no refrigerator. The tents are like fire. We sit outside in the street, as you can see. We sit here because inside the tents is unbearable. The people around us are living exactly the same way. I am an elderly man, and my wife is elderly too. My wife is almost blind. We have a 26-year-old son and a young daughter. Our situation is difficult, and the situation throughout the camp is difficult.These tents are not fit for living. They are not suitable at all. After sunrise, the heat becomes unbearable. When the sun gets hotter, we pour water over the tents just to cool them down. There are no fans, no air conditioning, nothing. We are constantly bitten by mosquitoes. As you can see, this is my shirt. These marks are mosquito bites. This blood is from mosquito bites. My wife bathes at home only once every ten days. Every two days we have to move because of the standing water. It is like fire, my brother. Come inside the tents and you will see - they are like fire. These are just ordinary tents covered with nylon sheets. The nylon traps the heat. I live in the shade, yet there is no ventilation, no refrigerator, no washing machine, nothing. We have none of the basic things people normally have." 4. CHILDREN FLYING KITES AT DISPLACEMENT CAMP 5. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN UMM KHALIL AL-SAYDAWI, SAYING: "I am Umm Khalil Al-Saydawi. We were displaced from northern Gaza to the Nuseirat camp, and now we are in the Egyptians' camp. We are truly suffering. We don't have proper tents, we don't have enough water, and we don't even have community kitchens like other places. There are flies, rats and mosquitoes everywhere. Now there are even snakes. I have seen a snake inside my tent. There is no safe place for us. Garbage is piled up around the tents. Life in this camp is unbearable. It is nothing but suffering. All day long I feel exhausted because of the heat. These tents are not fit to live in. They are just tarpaulins. They are not suitable for living. By God, I cannot stay inside my tent because of the heat. It is like fire. I wake up early in the morning just to fetch water. Today I managed to fill only three jerry cans, while the rest remain empty." 6. VARIOUS OF CHILDREN WITH SKIN RASHES AT DISPLACEMENT CAMP 7. DISPLACEMENT CAMPGAZA STRIP, PALESTINE - JULY 12: Scorching summer temperatures and worsening water shortages are adding to the hardships faced by displaced Palestinians living in makeshift camps across Gaza, where families say tents have become almost impossible to endure during the day. Footage from the Egyptians Camp in central Gaza showed mothers trying to cool their children with water and handheld fans as families sought shade outside tents made from nylon sheets that trap the summer heat. Abu Mohammad Al-Balbisi, displaced from northern Gaza, described the camp as increasingly unlivable, saying families were battling mosquitoes, rats, insects and a lack of even the most basic necessities. Al-Balbisi noted that residents often poured water over their tents in an attempt to reduce the heat, but temperatures inside remained "like fire." He added that the shortage of electricity and clean water had made daily life even more difficult, forcing many families to spend most of the day outdoors because the tents were too hot to stay inside. Umm Khalil Al-Saydawi, who was also displaced from northern Gaza, recalled fleeing her home only to find herself living in another camp where extreme heat, water shortages and poor sanitation now dominate daily life. She described garbage piling up around the tents, with flies, mosquitoes, rats and even snakes becoming part of their daily reality. Al-Saydawi noted that collecting water had become a daily struggle and said the limited supplies were far from enough to meet her family's needs. "The tents are like fire," she said, explaining that the heat forced families to spend their days searching for shade while children remained exposed to the harsh summer conditions. The United Nations has repeatedly warned that overcrowded displacement camps, limited access to clean water and deteriorating sanitation are increasing the risk of dehydration and disease outbreaks across Gaza during the summer months. Since the ceasefire took effect on