The recent heavy rains have led to catastrophic flooding in temporary shelters for displaced Palestinians across Gaza, impacting countless families. (Pic Credit: Reuters)
Heavy rainfall has inundated tens of thousands of tents sheltering displaced Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, destroying temporary shelters and soaking mattresses, blankets and other belongings, local authorities said on Saturday.
The Hamas-run Gaza government media office reported that at least 70,000 tents were flooded within a 12-hour period, affecting tens of thousands of displaced residents, according to news agency Reuters. Gaza’s civil defence service said it had received around 1,500 emergency calls from displaced people seeking assistance. Three abandoned buildings also collapsed due to the rainfall, but no injuries were reported in those incidents.
Several people were injured, although no deaths had been reported.
Because of fuel shortages and damaged equipment, municipal authorities and civil defence officials said they were struggling to respond to the flooding.
This is only the first day and we’re already overwhelmed,” she said. Recalling an earlier spell of rainfall, Magdoub said she had spent four nights sleeping on blankets laid directly on the floor after water soaked her bedding. They said Israeli military operations during the war against Hamas had destroyed hundreds of vehicles, including bulldozers and water-pumping equipment, severely affecting their ability to deal with emergencies.
“This is the first day of rain, and of course we are already flooded. What will happen if it rains again the next day? She added that her mattresses were wet again, forcing her family to sleep on the ground. COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for coordinating humanitarian assistance to Gaza, did not immediately respond to the allegations.
However, it said on Friday that it had intensified efforts to improve sanitation conditions across the territory ahead of the expected rainfall, working alongside international organisations.