Heavy rain flooded tents sheltering displaced families in Gaza, soaking bedding and possessions. Civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal said crews received 1,500 calls for help in ten hours. Families along the coast faced flooding as local responders described shortages of tents and tarpaulins. A building in Nuseirat was partly evacuated during the storm.
Heavy rain flooded displaced families’ tents in Gaza.[1], [2]
Paths between shelters became muddy as families tried to remove the water. Civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal said teams had received 1,500 calls for help in ten hours. He said water reached 30–40 centimetres in some locations, describing the conditions confronting rescuers.[1]
In Gaza, a building in the central Nuseirat area was partly evacuated during the storm. In al-Mawasi, a coastal shelter area in southern Gaza, families also tried to drain flooded tents. Many displaced households were living close to the shoreline, exposed to the sea as well as rainfall. As winter weather reached their temporary shelters, Rami Abu Taima described the vulnerability of these coastal families.[1]
Civil defence official Raed al-Dahshan said crews lacked tents and tarpaulins to distribute when they reached flooded families. Gaza’s emergency committee described a substantial need for replacement tents. Mohammed Salha of the Palestinian NGO Network, an association of civil society organisations, said 50,000 tents were waiting in Egypt. He argued that incoming assistance was below requirements as families sought dry bedding and shelter materials.[1]
