The New Year arrives in Gaza, not with joy or hope, but with the boom of fighter jets, drones, and eardrum-shattering explosion sounds, Tareq Abu Azzoum of Al Jazeera reports from Deir el-Balah, Gaza.

“At least 17 Palestinians have been killed in attacks on Jabalia and Bureij refugee camps, and Palestinian families in specific blocks in the Bureij refugee camp have been met with new evacuation orders,” the reporter said.

These attacks follow the launch of rockets from that area towards Israeli communities, the reporter adds.

“Right now, these families are trying to leave these densely populated neighbourhoods, taking whatever is left of their belongings — and the streets there that used to be full of children’s laughter are now echoing with terrified cries and the sound of footsteps looking for shelter,” the reporter said.

“It’s not just Israeli bombs and the forced displacement that are overwhelming Palestinians, but also the severe cold weather — Many of them are in tents, lacking warm winter clothing, and they are trying to cope with it all by resorting to primitive means of heating,” the reporter concluded.