Heavy rains have flooded tens of thousands of tents housing Palestinians displaced by Israeli genocide and crammed into encampments across Gaza, washing away shelters and soaking blankets and mattresses amid the continuing Israeli blockade.
Gaza authorities said on Saturday that at least 70,000 tents had been flooded in the past 12 hours, affecting tens of thousands of displaced people and causing injuries, although no fatalities had been reported.
The territory's civil defence service said it had received 1,500 distress calls from displaced residents.
Three abandoned houses collapsed without causing injuries, it added.
At a tent encampment in Gaza City, some people tried to repair their tents, while others used sand to reinforce them and prevent water from entering. Some were busy getting their children out of flooded tents.
Immediate risk
The displaced families living in flood-prone areas and damaged buildings are at "immediate risk", the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned.
In a statement shared on X, OCHA said most of Gaza's 2.1 million residents remain displaced, with many living in deteriorating tents that offer limited protection against worsening weather conditions.
"We are deeply concerned for families already affected and those most exposed to the worsening conditions," the agency said.
Olfat Magdoub, a Gaza resident, tried in vain to sweep water away from her tent.
"This is the first day of rain, and of course we are already flooded. What will happen if it rains the next day again? "This is only the first day, and we're already overwhelmed," said the woman.
"Two weeks ago when it rained, I swear to God, I spent four days sleeping on blankets spread on the floor because the rainwater had flooded the bedding. Same now, the mattresses are wet, so we sleep on the ground.”
Fuel shortages
Municipal and civil defence officials said they were unable to cope with the storm because of fuel shortages and damage to equipment.
They said Israel had destroyed hundreds of vehicles, including bulldozers and others used to pump water, during its ongoing genocide in Gaza, which had displaced most of the territory's more than 2 million residents and left much of Gaza in ruins.
Most of the population now lives in tent camps, as Israel is not allowing shelters and construction materials into Gaza.
A US-brokered ceasefire last year called for the eventual reconstruction of Gaza, but little progress has been made.
"We have no resources, no tarpaulins, no tents, and no one is checking on us," said displaced Gaza resident Rafiq Ghattas, standing barefoot in the middle of a large pool of rainwater.
Israel has killed over 74,000 people in Gaza since October 2023.
