A wave of heavy rains caused widespread flooding in the displaced persons' camps in the Gaza Strip, doubling the scale of humanitarian suffering experienced by residents for many months. Field sources reported that the Al-Mawasi area west of Khan Yunis city witnessed the drowning of hundreds of tents, as water infiltrated dilapidated shelters, leaving families exposed without cover or shelter to protect them from the bitter cold.
Under these difficult weather conditions, municipalities in the southern sector face an almost complete inability to provide urgent assistance to those affected due to severe damage to infrastructure. Emergency teams are using old and worn-out machinery in desperate attempts to drain water from roads and tents, but the scale of the disaster far exceeds the available capabilities, which have been depleted by the ongoing Israeli war of extermination on the Strip.
Saeb Laqan, the spokesperson for Khan Yunis Municipality, confirmed that the systematic targeting by the occupation of rainwater drainage networks and sewage lines has made crisis management an impossible task. Laqan explained that the severe shortage of essential equipment and tools limits the ability of rescue teams to intervene effectively, noting that the destruction of main roads has hindered the access of machinery to the most affected areas in the displaced persons' camps.
For their part, displaced persons in the Al-Mawasi area described the situation as tragic, as water submerged their tents all night and damaged their simple belongings and what remained of their blankets and clothes. Citizens indicated that attempts to appeal to civil defense and municipalities did not yield tangible results, given the lack of the minimum necessary capabilities for these entities to deal with the floods caused by the heavy rains.
Despite the ceasefire agreement coming into effect last October, the living conditions of approximately 1.9 million displaced persons have not seen any significant improvement. The Israeli occupation continues to obstruct the entry of relief aid, shelter materials, and new tents, forcing hundreds of thousands of families to remain in dilapidated tents that do not protect from the summer heat or winter cold, amidst a complete absence of basic services.
Official statistics indicate that the Israeli war has caused damage to about 90% of the civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, in addition to the martyrdom and injury of hundreds of thousands. This massive destruction has made facing weather fluctuations an existential challenge for residents who have lost their homes and now rely on canvas tents in open areas lacking sewage networks or protection from floods.
"The continuation of the war and the targeting of rainwater drainage networks have exacerbated the difficulty of crisis management, and the lack of equipment limits our ability to mitigate the effects of the low pressure system."
שתף את דעתך
Displaced Persons' Tents Drown in Gaza: Low Pressure System Worsens Humanitarian Catastrophe Amidst Municipal Paralysis