Gaza tents flooded by heavy rain, displaced families left without shelter

Heavy rain overnight flooded tents and makeshift shelters across camps in the Gaza Strip, leaving many displaced families soaked, their mattresses and personal belongings ruined and the narrow paths between tents turned into muddy pools.

For hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who were forced from their homes by the war and now live in flimsy shelters, the downpour marks the start of another harsh winter in precarious conditions with little protection from the elements.

Voices from the camps

Taer Abu Hamad, displaced from Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, said his family had been bailing water since the early hours: "The whole tent is full of water. We live in truly tragic conditions, no one cares for us. We need a solution, someone to show mercy to us."

Ahmed Darwish, who was displaced from Gaza City, described the tent collapsing on top of him during the storm: "The situation is catastrophic. Last night there were heavy rains and everything is flooded. The entire tent is under water, the ground is submerged, and the tent collapsed on me. This is a real catastrophe, our blankets and mattresses are completely soaked. Conditions are terrible."

Majed Al-Omari, who has lost a limb and moves with crutches, said he and others were left with nowhere to shelter: "Tonight we will have to sleep on the street or find another place to stay, because, as you can see, we no longer have anywhere to shelter. The tent is completely destroyed, the wooden frame and the plastic cover are broken."

An October report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs found that about 950,000 displaced Palestinians live in locations with medium to high flood risk, and more than 400,000 are in areas considered high risk, underscoring the vulnerability of those in tented camps.

Photo: press material from the event