SHOTLIST

KHAN YOUNIS, GAZA, PALESTINE (DEC. 30, 2025) (ANADOLU - ACCESS ALL)

1. VARIOUS OF DISPLACEMENT TENTS AT FORMER ASDAA AMUSEMENT PARK

2. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ONE OF DISPLACED PALESTINIANS CEMAAN AL-BENSH, SAYING:

“…This place used to be for children’s recreation, but now it has become a place of tents for the displaced…

Strong winds hit us, and many tents were torn apart…

Some were flooded, and people rushed to help those inside…”

3. CHILDREN STANDING IN FRONT OF TENTS (TWO SHOTS)

4. TENTS AMONG REMNANTS OF PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ONE OF DISPLACED PALESTINIANS ZAHER ABU TAHA, SAYING:

“…This location served as a recreational hub not only for Khan Younis but for the entire Gaza Strip…

People gathered here for holidays and school trips…

Now it has now become a scene of tragedy for children, adults, and the elderly alike…”

6. VARIOUS OF DAILY LIFE OF DISPLACED PALESTINIANS AND CHILDREN INSIDE TENT CAMP AT PARK

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ONE OF DISPLACED PALESTINIANS TAWFIQ AL-BENSH, SAYING:

“…This was once the largest amusement park in Gaza…

Children used to visit here with their families during holidays and New Year celebrations…

Today, that image has been replaced by one of destruction, pain, and wounds…”

8. VARIOUS OF CHILDREN PLAYING INSIDE DISPLACEMENT TENT CAMP

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ONE OF DISPLACED PALESTINIANS CHILD DIMA, SAYING:

“…We used to come here to play and feel happy…

Now many of our loved ones are gone…

Everyone celebrates the New Year, but we have not celebrated for two years because of the war…”

10. VARIOUS OF PALESTINIANS CONTINUING DAILY LIFE IN TENT CAMP AT SUNSET
KHAN YOUNIS, GAZA, PALESTINE - DEC. 30: Displaced Palestinians sheltered at the Asdaa Amusement Park in Khan Younis marked the New Year amid worsening hardship Tuesday, Dec. 30, as the once-popular recreational site continues to function as one of southern Gaza's largest displacement camps.

The amusement park, which previously hosted family outings, school trips, and holiday celebrations, has been transformed into a sprawling tent city following Israeli attacks that forced thousands of families to flee their homes.

Cemaan al-Bensh, who was displaced from Beit Hanoun nearly two years ago, said the site is now overcrowded and lacks basic infrastructure for residential life. He noted that recent winter storms have battered the makeshift shelters.

“This place used to be for children’s recreation, but now it has become a place of tents for the displaced,” al-Bensh said. “Strong winds hit us, and many tents were torn apart. Some were flooded, and people rushed to help those inside.”

Zaher Abu Taha recalled that Asdaa was once a central destination for families from across the Gaza Strip, particularly during holidays. Now, those same families arrive as refugees, pitching tents among the remaining playground equipment and former attractions.

Tawfiq al-Bensh, a displaced woman living at the site, said the camp represents a total transformation from joy to misery. “Today, that image has been replaced by one of destruction, pain, and wounds,” she said.

For the children living in the camp, the transition is especially stark. Twelve-year-old Dima, who was displaced from Rafah, said the park once symbolized happiness but now only reflects loss.

“We used to come here to play and feel happy. Now many of our loved ones are gone,” she said. “Everyone celebrates the New Year, but we have not celebrated for two years because of the war.”

Severe storms, strong winds, and rain have destroyed makeshift tents across the Gaza Strip, worsening shelter conditions for thousands of displaced families as winter sets in, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees
(UNRWA) said on US social media company X on Wednesday.

Israeli authorities continue to block the UNRWA from directly bringing aid into Gaza, including shelter supplies needed for hundreds of thousands of people affected by the weather, the agency added.

According to the Gaza Civil Defense on Tuesday, 25 people, including six children, have died from cold and the collapse of damaged buildings in Gaza amid freezing weather conditions in the war-torn enclave.

Spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said that 18 buildings that had been damaged in previous Israeli strikes had fully collapsed, and more than 110 others recorded partial collapse in the current low-pressure weather system, threatening the lives of thousands of displaced people sheltering in these buildings.

The spokesman added that 90% of tents sheltering displaced civilians were uprooted or flooded in heavy rains and strong winds across Gaza, with thousands of families left without any shelters or any clothes that could have protected them from the harsh weather.

The Israeli army has killed more than 71,200 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,200 others since October 2023 in Gaza in a brutal assault that also left the enclave in ruins.

Despite a ceasefire that took effect in Gaza on Oct. 10, Israel still closes the territory’s crossings and prevents the entry of mobile homes and reconstruction materials, worsening the plight of nearly 2.4 million people in the enclave.