The Dec. 16 entry on her Facebook was simple yet powerful: “Imagine if President [Mahmoud al-] Abbas would visit Gaza and take a look at his people there following the Alexa storm. Imagine how he will be received by Ismail Haniyeh. … People who have been drowning will certainly come out and welcome him.”

The entry was by Rawya Shawa, a prominent independent member of the Palestinian Legislative Council. It is unclear if this was an innocent wish, or if she was privy to any information about the state of Palestinian reconciliation. The entry coincided with two important phone calls: the first between Gaza’s de facto ruler Ismail Haniyeh and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and followed by what has been reported as a thank-you call from Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal to Abbas. Press reports have said that Meshaal thanked Abbas for the efforts he has made since the snow storm to help out Gazans by sending badly needed supplies and intervening with the Israelis to loosen up Gaza’s blockade.

Gaza’s humanitarian situation has been horrendous. The United Nations has reported more than 10,000 Gazans having to relocate because of the flooding. Photos circulating around the world showed Gazans being rescued in front of their "drowning" homes with boats and other floating devices. Electricity has been cut off because of a lack of fuel, and the desperation of the population as expressed in various social media outlets is heartbreaking. A Gazan blogger, Mohammad Omer, made the following appeal on his Twitter account: "I am charging my computer using a car battery to get this message out. It is so cold in Gaza."

The increment weather has not only affected the Gaza Strip but also the local infrastructure. The ability of the Hamas government to deal with the conditions has been by far its worst trial to salvage a situation. The UN, with help from other organizations, succeeded in getting water pumps into Gaza, but a UN spokesman said they need five more pumps to be able to pump out all the water that has turned streets into rivers. Homes have been flooded by water, and it will be difficult to return even after the water has been pumped out.