Heavy rain on Saturday flooded at least 70,000 tents housing displaced Palestinians across Gaza, leaving tens of thousands without shelter as aid shortages hamper the response.
The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said the flooding occurred over 12 hours. Water levels rose 30 to 40 centimeters in some shelters. Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Basal said some camps were completely submerged, forcing residents to flee "to unknown places." Videos from Gaza City, Khan Yunis and Deir el Bala showed families wading through ankle-deep water, with mattresses soaked and children barefoot in mud.
In Deir el Balah, 34-year-old Marjam Odeh told Agence France-Presse: "My children ask me where we will sleep tonight, I have no answer." The storm collapsed dozens of cracked walls and roofs, injuring people, some critically. Three abandoned houses also collapsed without casualties. A partially damaged building in central Gaza collapsed in the wind and rain, forcing rescuers to evacuate residents.
Gaza's civil defense received more than 1,500 emergency calls overnight but lacked equipment to respond. Director Raed Al Dahšan said his teams had no tarps or tents and could only save lives. "That is not enough," he said. The flooding also hit Al Shifa hospital, where the emergency department stopped functioning for about four hours, director Mohamed Abu Salmiya said.
Abu Salmiya warned of rising digestive, respiratory and skin infections as sewage water entered tents. He predicted hundreds of newborns in tents needing warmth might die. Jonathan Veitch, UNICEF's representative for Palestine, called the situation "horrible" and said people were "completely desperate." He said Israeli restrictions on heavy machinery and fuel worsened conditions, noting that last year more people died from hypothermia.
Gaza authorities said they urgently needed about 200,000 tents and heating supplies. They blamed Israel for keeping crossings closed and blocking reconstruction materials. The Israeli military office COGAT did not immediately comment on the accusations but said on Friday it had intensified preparations for expected rains with international organizations. A coalition of Palestinian civil society organizations warned of disease spread and called for pressure on Israel to allow unrestricted aid.
About 90 percent of Gaza's more than two million residents are displaced, half of them children. Palestinian authorities say more than 74,000 people have been killed since Israel launched its offensive after the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Initial damage from the storm was estimated at roughly three million dollars.
