Torrential rains have flooded tens of thousands of tents belonging to displaced Palestinians in Gaza, leaving many families without shelter. Local authorities say around 70,000 tents were flooded on the very first day of the rainfall.
Since the rains began, displaced families have left camps in Gaza City, the northern areas and the central part of the Strip. In some places, water levels have reached 300–400 millimeters, leaving tents and the residents’ few possessions submerged.
More than 1,500 calls for help
Mahmoud Bassal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense, told AFP that teams received more than 1,500 calls overnight from residents whose tents had been flooded. According to him, rescue services are operating without sufficient equipment and capabilities.
Dozens of cracked walls and roofs have collapsed in various parts of the Strip, with people injured in the incidents, some of them seriously. Municipal and rescue officials say fuel shortages and damaged equipment are further limiting the teams’ operations.
Hundreds of thousands at risk
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, around 950,000 displaced people in Gaza live in areas at risk of flooding. Many of them are staying in worn-out tents or makeshift shelters that provide limited protection from rain, wind and cold.
The humanitarian situation is being compounded by the destroyed infrastructure and the lack of sufficient equipment for drainage and emergency repairs. Civil defense services are calling on the international community and humanitarian organizations to provide immediate assistance to people left without a dry place to live.