STORY: Crisis in Gaza worsened by floods as "gaps remain" in ceasefire talks
SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 28, 2024
DATELINE: Jan. 29, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:20
LOCATION: Jerusalem
CATEGORY: MILITARY/POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of flooded refugee camps in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): OM MOHAMMED AL-ATTAR, Displaced person
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): WALID HAMMAD, Displaced person
4. STANDUP 3 (English): ZHANG TIANLANG, Xinhua correspondent in Jerusalem

STORYLINE:

In Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, recent winter storms have flooded refugee camps.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): OM MOHAMMED AL-ATTAR, Displaced person
"The situation is very difficult for us and we are not receiving any aid. Our tents flooded in the rain and no one cared about us, about what happened to us. The whole world is watching our suffering, and I have lost more than 50 members of my family, but there is nothing I can do."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): WALID HAMMAD, Displaced person
"My children were adversely affected by the rain without proper shelter. We have a son who is disabled, in addition to my brother being a blind man. There was no other place that could accommodate nine people. The situation is tragic. There is a lot of rainwater inside the tent."

A staggering 1.9 million people in Gaza have been displaced from their homes, suffering from starvation, disease and winter chill.

Meanwhile, talks on a ceasefire in Gaza involving top U.S., Qatari, Egyptian and Israeli officials have adjourned in Paris.

STANDUP 3 (English): ZHANG TIANLANG, Xinhua correspondent in Jerusalem
"Israeli Prime Minister's Office issued a statement on Sunday night and confirmed that an Israeli delegation just held a four-way meeting with senior intelligence officers from the United States, Qatar and Egypt.
During the meeting, they discussed a possible deal of ceasefire in Gaza and the return of hostages. Prime Minister's Office defined the discussions as 'constructive,' but also added that there are still significant gaps. Additional meetings will be held in upcoming days."

The meeting is aimed at achieving a deal to end the conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement. Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that his government will not agree to a ceasefire deal while Hamas remains in power in Gaza, and the Israeli military escalation in the Palestinian enclave aims to "eliminate" Hamas.

Israel launched a massive offensive in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, in response to an assault by Hamas on southern Israeli communities, in which Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people and took more than 200 as hostages. Currently, over 100 hostages are still held in Gaza by Hamas and other militant groups in the strip.
   
The deadly conflict has led to a Palestinian death toll of 26,422 in Gaza, with the number of injuries rising to 65,087, according to the Gaza-based Health Ministry on Sunday.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Jerusalem.
(XHTV)