DaysofPal- Heavy overnight rainfall inundated displacement camps across Gaza on Friday, flooding hundreds of makeshift tents and plunging already vulnerable families into deeper misery as winter settles over the war-torn enclave.
Residents awoke to several inches of water pooling inside their shelters, soaking mattresses, blankets, and the few belongings they had left after two years of Israeli genocidal war that destroyed their homes.
Many said they had no means to dry anything or protect themselves from the continuing rain.
“We have been flooded by the rain, us and our little children,” said Raed Al-Alayan from Gaza City, adding that “there is no roof to protect us.”
Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza Civil Defense, said officials had received “hundreds of pleas for help,” but had little capacity to respond. “Resources are nonexistent,” Basal told journalists.
“Entire shelter centers have seen water levels rise to more than 10 centimeters. Mattresses are soaked, blankets are drenched and there are no options left, because every option has been destroyed by the Israeli forces.” Basal said.
Residents across Gaza reported tents collapsing under the weight of the rain or failing to keep out the water due to months of wear and repeated displacement.
“We have been awake since 2:30 a.m. because of the rain; everything is soaked; the mattresses and the blankets,” said Abdulbasset Abulhadi.”
At a makeshift camp in Gaza’s port area, one woman guided reporters through her flooded tent, where she said 20 children, including newborns, were sheltering. Breaking down in tears, she repeated, “Where should we go? My son who was killed built these tents for us. What am I supposed to do now?”
Shelters Collapse as Aid Remains Blocked
The UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said hundreds of tents and temporary shelters had been flooded.
Gaza lacks the necessary equipment for basic flood prevention, such as tools to drain water or remove accumulated rubble and waste.
“We fear that thousands of displaced families are now left fully exposed to the harsh weather elements,” Dujarric said.
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) communications officer Mai Elawawda described Friday as “one of the hardest days in Gaza since the ceasefire.”
“Most of these families are surviving in completely worn-out tents that have travelled with them through two years of nonstop Israeli attacks and forced displacement,” she said.
“Frayed under the sun, these tents are now collapsing at the first signs of winter.” She added.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 1.4 million people in Gaza urgently need shelter materials, while over 320,000 housing units have been damaged or destroyed in Israeli military operations.
Despite the scale of destruction, humanitarian organizations say only a fraction of the necessary aid is being allowed into the strip.
Abu Mohammad Abaeeb, a displaced resident, said he had not received even a tarp since the war began.
“Most of our bedding was soaked. We drowned in just five minutes of rain,” he told CNN.
Dujarric said “millions” of shelter items remain stuck in Jordan, Egypt, and Israel, awaiting approval to enter Gaza. Israeli occupation still imposes restrictions and blocks essential supplies.
As winter storms intensify, displaced families fear the flooding is only a prelude to deeper hardship, with little protection, little aid, and nowhere else left to go.
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