DaysofPal- Gaza experienced renewed suffering on Monday evening as heavy rains associated with a harsh storm and rainwater flooded tents sheltering displaced families across the Strip, worsening already dire humanitarian conditions.
Large numbers of displaced Palestinians saw their makeshift shelters inundated with water as torrential rain swept through low-lying areas, leaving thousands of families exposed to cold and harsh weather.
The flooding comes amid the absence of effective international intervention and the inability of Gaza’s civil defense services, strained by limited resources, to provide adequate assistance, including safe tents or mobile housing units.
In Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, a house belonging to the Abu al-Qumsan family collapsed due to heavy rainfall after having been previously damaged during Israeli attacks on the Strip.
In a separate incident earlier in the evening, several displaced people were injured when a wall collapsed onto their tent in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, southwest of Gaza City, as a result of the intense rain and strong weather conditions.
The downpour flooded a large number of tents across various parts of Gaza, particularly in low-lying areas, compounding the suffering of families already living in extremely difficult humanitarian circumstances amid ongoing repercussions of the war.
Yahya al-Sarraj, head of the Union of Gaza Strip Municipalities, warned of serious consequences as a new low-pressure system enters the area before residents have recovered from previous storms. He pointed to widespread destruction of infrastructure and a deepening humanitarian crisis.
In statements to Anadolu Agency, al-Sarraj said the current storm is hitting amid a severe lack of safe shelter and heating supplies, significantly increasing risks for hundreds of thousands of displaced people. He warned of tents and shelters flooding, especially in densely populated and low-lying areas.
Al-Sarraj added that municipal emergency teams and civil defense crews are operating with very limited capabilities, stressing that a severe fuel shortage is hindering the operation of heavy machinery and water-pumping stations, further escalating the danger.
For his part, Ismail al-Thawabteh, Director General of Gaza’s Government Media Office, said residents continue to endure harsh humanitarian conditions as successive weather systems hit the Strip, exacerbating the suffering of hundreds of thousands of displaced people. He said this coincides with ongoing Israeli violations and a clear failure to meet humanitarian and legal obligations, turning severe weather into a direct threat to civilians’ lives.
Last Friday, a United Nations-affiliated international organization warned that hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Gaza face the risk of their tents and shelters being flooded due to heavy rains, particularly as construction materials for adequate shelters are barred from entering the Strip.
The Government Media Office reported that 12 people have died or are missing as a result of the storm, at least 13 buildings have collapsed, and some 27,000 tents have been flooded.
The international organization further warned that approximately 795,000 displaced people are at risk from potential flash floods in debris-filled low-lying areas, where families are living in unsafe shelters. It cautioned against the spread of disease due to the lack of sanitation services and waste management.
Meanwhile, Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said Gaza is experiencing an unprecedented catastrophic situation, warning that any upcoming storm stronger than the last would inevitably lead to higher casualties, given the absence of even the minimum requirements for emergency response and disaster preparedness.
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