DaysofPal– Gaza’s Civil Defence teams continued round-the-clock rescue operations on Thursday as a powerful winter storm brought severe flooding, structural collapses, and widespread devastation across the besieged enclave.
In northern Gaza, rescue crews retrieved the body of a resident and rescued two injured children from beneath the rubble of a collapsed house in the Bir an-Naaja area. Officials said efforts are still underway to extract others believed to be trapped under the debris as heavy rain and strong winds complicate the mission.
In Gaza City, Civil Defence teams evacuated members of the Darby family after the entrance of their home collapsed in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood.
The structure, already weakened by repeated Israeli bombardment, buckled under the weight of the relentless rainfall.
Further south, in the Nuseirat refugee camp, a rescue team from Deir el-Balah governorate recovered a Palestinian Red Crescent vehicle that became stuck in a deep water pit near the al-Suwarah cemetery, as flooding swept through roads and open areas across central Gaza.
Authorities warned that the situation is expected to worsen as the storm continues. In a statement, Gaza’s Civil Defence urged displaced families and residents living in structurally damaged homes, thousands of which have been compromised by months of Israeli attacks, to evacuate immediately.
“These houses are unsafe. With the ongoing storm, staying inside them poses a serious risk of collapse,” the Civil Defence said.
The storm, which has already submerged entire displacement camps and torn apart tents, adds a new layer of suffering to Gaza’s population, many of whom have been forced to seek shelter in makeshift structures with no protection from the cold, wind, or rain.
Humanitarian agencies warn that the combination of severe weather, ongoing bombardment, and the collapse of essential services is pushing Gaza toward an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.
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