Days of heavy rains have worsened the misery of displaced Palestinians in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict, flooding and damaging their makeshift tents.
More than a year since the outbreak of the Israel-Palestine conflict, Gazans are still far from having stable housing. They endured harsh living conditions in temporary tents.
According to the Palestinian Civil Defense, floodwater have risen by more than 30 centimeters inside tents in some severely affected areas, leaving displaced people exposed to the cold and damaging their temporary shelters.
Emergency services reported that several areas, including the southern, northern, and central Gaza Strip, have become uninhabitable due to flooding. Winter remains the most challenging season for over 1.9 million displaced people, as their tents offer little protection from the harsh weather conditions.
In the Deir el-Balah area, floodwater remained at the tent sites, and drainage was difficult.
Ismail Nadim, a displaced Palestinian man, described how their hardship was compounded by the wave of heavy rains.
"After we were displaced, we were exposed to a severe cold wave and heavy rains that drowned us and destroyed everything we had. We do not have a suitable tent to live in, and no one feels for us or looks after our condition. The severe cold made us spend three consecutive nights suffering in harsh conditions. When the storm swept over us and the rainwater entered our tent, my children had to go out due to the severe cold and rain. The nylon covering the tent was torn, and the water flooded everything. Now we are trying to dry the damaged mattresses, but we live in very difficult conditions, without the minimum requirements for a decent life," he said.
The floodwater inundated the fragile tents, soaking mattresses and clothes, leaving displaced families struggling to keep warm, especially for their children.
"The water surrounded us from all sides, and we couldn't manage our situation. We tried to drain the water away from us, but we couldn't. There is no mattress now to sleep on, I put it in the sun to dry. There are no clothes for my children, not even shoes to wear. We can barely provide them with clothes," said Palestinian woman Walaa Abu Khousa.
Heavy rain worsens misery of displaced Palestinians in Gaza
