Storm in Gaza destroys 10,000 tents and worsens humanitarian crisis, while Israeli attacks intensify suffering among the population.
Heavy rains flooded the tent camps of displaced Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, adding to the suffering of communities already devastated by 13 months of war, as Israeli forces intensified attacks in the enclave.
Overnight rains flooded tents and in some places washed away plastic and cloth shelters used by displaced people, most of whom were forced to move several times during the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Some placed buckets on the ground to protect carpets from leaks and dug trenches to drain water from their tents.
“We left the north and survived the bombings. We left after the siege. But now the rain and cold are killing us. I have been sick for three days,” Ahmad, a displaced resident of Jabalia in northern Gaza, told Al Jazeera in a tent field at Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza City.
“We were affected by the rain. Our kids got wet. Our clothes were soaked and we have nothing to protect ourselves except the tent,” said Um Mohammad Marouf, a displaced resident of Beit Lahiya.
Many of the tents used in the early phases of Israel’s war in Gaza have now worn out and no longer offer protection. The price of new tents and plastic sheets has also skyrocketed, making them unaffordable for displaced families.
On Monday, the Gaza Government Media Office said in a statement that around 10,000 tents had been swept away or damaged by the storm, appealing for international assistance to provide displaced families with tents in order to protect them. of rain and cold.
“According to government field assessment teams, 81% of displaced people’s tents are no longer usable. Of the 135,000 tents, 110,000 are completely worn out and need to be replaced urgently,” the statement said.
In Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reported that many tent camps are close to the coast and are not designed to withstand “these horrible conditions,” especially with the arrival of colder weather.
“The rising tide damaged many of these tents, leaving people without hope and without dry clothes to protect themselves,” he said.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) has warned that half a million people across the beleaguered region are at risk in flood-affected areas.
“The situation will only get worse with every drop of rain, every bomb, every attack,” said the agency in X.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Israeli attacks intensified across the enclave.
In Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, an Israeli air strike killed at least four people, according to medics, while tanks deepened their incursions into Beit Hanoon, Beit Lahiya and Jabalia – the largest of the enclave’s eight historic refugee camps.
Doctors said seven Palestinians were also killed by two Israeli airstrikes in Jabalia.
Gaza residents said Israeli planes also dropped new leaflets over Beit Lahiya, ordering remaining residents to leave the northern city for the south, claiming the area would be attacked and providing a map.
Palestinians say Israel appears determined to permanently dispossess the area to create a buffer zone along Gaza’s northern edge. Israel has repeatedly denied this accusation.
Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 44,235 Palestinians and injured 104,638 since October 7, 2023.
An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during Hamas-led attacks that day and more than 200 were taken hostage.
With information from News Agencies*
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2024/11/27/inundacoes-em-gaza-aumentam-sofrimento-apos-ataques-israelenses/
