DaysofPal – The Islamic resistance movement Hamas on Friday appealed to the guarantors of the ceasefire agreement to intervene urgently and compel Israel to meet its humanitarian obligations, after heavy rainfall turned large areas of the Gaza Strip into “pools of mud” and destroyed thousands of makeshift shelters housing displaced Palestinian families.
In a statement, the group warned that the catastrophic conditions inside the camps underscore the “urgent and immediate need for relief and shelter amid the occupier’s continued delays in allowing aid, tents, and caravans to enter.”
Hamas called on the United Nations, the Arab League, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to “take urgent action to deliver supplies to Gaza.”
The plea came as torrential rains early Friday flooded hundreds of tents and informal shelters across the enclave, worsening an already dire humanitarian situation following two years of what Palestinians describe as a genocidal Israeli military campaign.
According to Gaza’s Civil Defense, emergency teams received dozens of distress calls from camps and shelters in Gaza City, including Al-Nafaq, Al-Daraj, Yarmouk, Al-Zaytoun, and Al-Shati refugee camp, as well as from areas in Deir al-Balah, Al-Bureij, and Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip.
The agency appealed to the international community and the ceasefire guarantor states to “address the suffering of nearly half a million families displaced by the Israeli aggression and living in camps and shelters lacking basic necessities,” urging the immediate delivery of prefabricated homes and new tents.
Conditions inside the camps have reached catastrophic levels. Hundreds of thousands of displaced people live without adequate shelter, essential services, or protection from the elements.
According to the Government Media Office, 93% of existing tents are no longer habitable, with tens of thousands destroyed by direct and indirect Israeli shelling. Others have simply collapsed after months of exposure to rain, wind, and extreme weather, while the ongoing blockade continues to prevent the entry of replacement materials.
The ceasefire agreement halted the Israeli military campaign launched on October 8, 2013, a two-year war that left more than 69,000 Palestinians killed, over 170,000 wounded, and caused massive destruction affecting 90% of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure. Initial assessments place the economic losses at roughly $70 billion.
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