Rain and floods destroy tents of over 70,000 displaced families in Gaza

The Gaza Strip is now facing the fury of nature after the war. The first heavy rain of winter and strong winds have badly damaged camps for the displaced. In the floodwater, the tents of more than 70,000 displaced Palestinian families were either washed away completely or destroyed. With the sudden loss of their shelter in bitter cold and rain, thousands of ordinary people and children are now out in the open. Sewage has mixed with the rainwater, and there are fears that serious diseases could spread across the area.

According to Mahmoud Bassal, spokesperson for the Gaza civil defence, conditions worsened sharply after the stormy rain began on Friday night. Rescue teams received more than 1,500 emergency calls for help in a single night. But because of the continuing war and a severe shortage of resources, local rescue teams are unable to reach those affected.

Water entering the tents suddenly soaked bedding, blankets, warm clothes and stored grain, ruining them completely. In the cold, small children are asking, "Where will we sleep tonight?" Distraught parents have no answer to the question.

Hosni Muhanna, spokesperson for the Gaza municipality, said the city received 60 mm of rain in just 12 hours. This is 15 per cent of the city's average annual rainfall. More than 1 million people are living in extreme overcrowding on just 30 per cent of the land area of Gaza City.

The long war has completely destroyed Gaza's underground drains and sewer system. The capacity of this drainage system has now fallen to just 20 per cent, a reduction of 80 per cent. As a result, rainwater remained standing in the city. About 270 shelter camps in Gaza City were directly hit by the flooding, and the lives of people in low-lying areas are in danger.

Municipal official Mustafa Kazzat said that at least 200,000 prefabricated homes (caravans) are urgently needed to give the displaced immediate relief, along with heavy machinery to clear rubble. He alleged that despite the ceasefire agreement, Israel is placing restrictions on bringing essential construction material and machinery into Gaza.

The rain and strong wind brought down the weak walls of several buildings already damaged by earlier bombing. In one incident, five people were seriously injured when a wall and a tin roof fell on them. An initial estimate puts the economic loss from the flooding at about $3 million.

According to a survey by UNRWA, the United Nations agency, 94 per cent of Gaza's total population, about 1.98 million people, urgently need shelter and basic necessities. UNOCHA, the UN humanitarian agency, had already warned that about 950,000 Palestinians are living in camps in flood-prone areas. Given the present conditions, a major humanitarian crisis could develop in Gaza this winter if the international borders are not opened immediately and relief supplies delivered.