Heavy rains flood hundreds of tents sheltering displaced Gazans amid severe weather

GAZA CITY, Palestine/ ISTANBUL

Heavy rains flooded hundreds of tents sheltering displaced civilians in the Gaza Strip on Monday and caused several injuries, Palestinian sources said.

A woman sustained moderate injuries after a house wall collapsed onto her tent in western Gaza City, a medical source told Anadolu.

According to witnesses, hundreds of tents sheltering displaced families were flooded in the Chalet area, west of Gaza City, as the territory was ravaged by a new low-pressure system.

Witnesses said strong winds caused widespread damage to dozens of tents and blew many of them away, as residents attempted to secure their tents and rescue their belongings from flooding.

The rains came days after at least 11 Palestinians were killed by a severe storm that hit the Palestinian enclave, causing initial direct losses of $4 million, according to the Government Media Office.

Yahya al-Sarraj, the head of the Gaza Municipalities Union, warned of serious repercussions from the new low-pressure system.

“An acute fuel shortage is exacerbating the catastrophic conditions in Gaza and hinders efforts to operating machinery and pumping stations, especially during severe weather,” he said.

Sarraj also warned of a potential collapse of damaged residential buildings where displaced people have sheltered, posing a direct threat to civilians’ lives.

According to the Gaza Media Office, 13 buildings that had previously been destroyed in Israeli strikes in the Israeli war collapsed during the last storm.

He appealed for the provision of urgent relief aid, including winter clothing, blankets, mattresses, and safe heating means, to alleviate residents’ suffering amid harsh weather conditions.

Israel has killed nearly 70,700 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,100 others in attacks in Gaza since October 2023, before the assault came to a halt under a ceasefire deal that took effect on Oct. 10.

Phase one of the ceasefire deal includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.