Heavy rains flood hundreds of Gaza displacement tents worsening already tragic conditions

Ahram Online , Tuesday 31 Dec 2024

Hundreds of displacement camps' tents in different areas of the Gaza Strip were flooded Monday night and early Tuesday due to heavy rains, exacerbating the suffering of families living in tragic conditions under the continued Israeli army shelling, WAFA said.

A Palestinian man places sand around his tent to block rain water at a makeshift camp housing displa
A Palestinian man places sand around his tent to block rain water at a makeshift camp housing displaced Palestinians in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

 

The displaced citizens reported that the strong winds that hit the strip over the past two days blew away their tents, forcing them to face the bitter cold without any protection.

Especially those displaced in Deir Al-Balah and Khan Younis' Al-Mawasi in the southern Gaza Strip spent a harsh night inside their tents, which were swept by rainwater and winds, according to WAFA.

This comes at a time when medical sources announced the death of an infant in the strip due to the cold weather and low temperatures, the seventh person to die because of the cold in less than a week.

Meanwhile, rescue crews received hundreds of distress calls from displaced people asking for help after their tents and homes were flooded by rainwater to save their children.

However, the crews indicated that they could only evacuate those displaced people from their damaged shelters to places that were mostly unsuitable for shelter. Thus, they remained in the open air under the rain and bitter cold.

The already catastrophic humanitarian conditions in Gaza have forced around two million displaced people since 7 October 2023 to live in dilapidated tents.

These tents lack the minimum requirements for a decent life, providing no protection from winter's cold after Israel had destroyed their homes.

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