Hundreds of tents sheltering Gazans get flooded from intense rain

(MENAFN) According to reports, hundreds of tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were flooded for a second day on Thursday following heavy overnight rainfall from a new winter storm. The continuous rain, lasting from early morning through the night, worsened conditions for families already displaced by Israel’s two-year military campaign.

Gaza’s Civil Defense announced that dozens of tents in the southern city of Rafah had to be evacuated after becoming completely submerged. Spokesman Mahmoud Basal previously warned that more than 250,000 families living in displacement camps across the enclave are highly vulnerable to rain and cold weather due to the deteriorating state of their tents. The agency cautioned that humanitarian conditions could further deteriorate if the storm persists, particularly as no temporary shelters are available for affected families.

Earlier, the Gaza Government Media Office had forecast that a polar low-pressure system would impact the region from Wednesday through Friday evening, posing serious risks to hundreds of thousands of displaced people. Since Wednesday, many of the tents housing survivors of Israel’s conflict have been inundated, soaking bedding, clothing, and food supplies, leaving families exposed to freezing conditions without proper shelter.

Prior estimates indicate that Gaza requires approximately 300,000 tents and prefabricated housing units to meet basic shelter needs, following widespread destruction of infrastructure over two years of conflict. The United Nations has estimated the cost of reconstructing Gaza at around $70 billion, citing the war’s toll of more than 70,000 deaths and over 171,000 injuries. A ceasefire that took effect on October 10 currently holds, though the humanitarian crisis remains severe.

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