Heavy rains in Gaza have put over 70,000 refugee tents at risk of flooding, worsening the humanitarian situation in the area. Local officials reported that the rainfall over the past 12 hours has caused damage to refugees and fatalities, although no deaths have been reported.
Flood Damage
The Gaza Civil Defense Service reported receiving over 1,500 emergency calls from refugee residents. Meanwhile, three abandoned houses were destroyed due to the intensity of the rainfall, but fortunately, no injuries to individuals were reported.
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Response to Humanitarian Crisis
In one of the refugee camps in Gaza City, some residents were trying to repair their tents, while others were using sand to reinforce the tents to prevent water from entering. One resident named Olfat Maqdoub, while trying to clear water from her tent, said: "This is the first day of rain and we are already flooded. What will happen if it rains tomorrow?" She added: "Two weeks ago when it rained, I slept for four days on blankets spread on the ground because the rainwater had flooded my sleeping area."
Local officials and civil defense stated that due to fuel shortages and damage to equipment, they are unable to respond to this storm. They also noted that Israel has destroyed hundreds of vehicles, including bulldozers and water pumps, in its war against Hamas.
Hamas has accused Israel of preventing the entry of building materials and shelters into Gaza. Meanwhile, the Israeli military agency responsible for coordinating aid has not responded to these accusations and has only stated that it has increased its efforts to improve sanitary conditions in Gaza before the heavy rains.
Despite a U.S.-backed ceasefire last year that referred to the reconstruction of Gaza, little progress has been made in this regard. Negotiations for an agreement on disarming Hamas and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from this area, two-thirds of which is under Israeli control, have yet to yield results.
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