The Gaza rain flood on Saturday soaked the tent camps where most of the territory's displaced population now lives. The Gaza government media office said at least 70,000 tents had been flooded over the previous 12 hours, and the number of people affected runs into the tens of thousands. Injuries were reported, but no deaths had been recorded so far.
Civil defence, the territory's emergency service, said it had received 1,500 calls for help from displaced residents. Three empty houses collapsed, but without injuries.
Gaza resident Olfat Magdoub said the camp was 'already overwhelmed' after a single day of rain, and she asked what would happen if the rain continued. She recalled that during an earlier downpour two weeks before, she had spent four days sleeping on blankets on the floor because her bedding had been soaked. Rafiq Ghattas, standing barefoot in a large pool of rainwater, said his family had no supplies, no tarpaulins and no tents, and that nobody was checking on them.
Shortages hamper the response
Municipal and civil defence officials said fuel shortages and damage to equipment left them unable to cope with the Gaza rain flood. Officials also pointed to losses from the war against Hamas, saying hundreds of vehicles, among them bulldozers and water pumps, had been wrecked. The war displaced most of the territory's residents, and much of Gaza now lies in ruins.
Hamas accused Israel of blocking shelters and building materials from entering Gaza. COGAT, the Israeli military body that coordinates aid, had not immediately responded to that accusation. In a statement on Friday, it said it had stepped up sanitation work before the expected rain, working with international organisations.
Reconstruction has moved slowly. A US-brokered ceasefire from last year envisaged rebuilding Gaza, but negotiators have not reached a deal on how Hamas would give up its arms or how Israeli forces would withdraw. Israeli forces are present across roughly two-thirds of the Strip, and residents there have been told to leave. COGAT said four more vacuum trucks came in this week through the Red Cross, adding to eight brought in over the past month to pump sewage, remove waste and repair water and sewage lines.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Last year: a US-brokered ceasefire called for Gaza's eventual reconstruction, but little progress has been made.
- Two weeks before this storm: earlier rain soaked the bedding in Olfat Magdoub's tent.
- Past month: eight vacuum trucks were brought into Gaza through the ICRC, COGAT said.
- Friday: COGAT said it had stepped up sanitation work ahead of the expected rain.
- Saturday: the Gaza government media office reported at least 70,000 tents flooded in the previous 12 hours.
- This week: four more vacuum trucks entered Gaza, COGAT said.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Gaza mein tez barish se displaced logon ke tents paani mein doob gaye, aur government media office ke mutabiq kam az kam 70,000 tents bheeg gaye. Kuch log zakhmi hue, lekin abhi tak koi maut report nahi hui. Fuel ki kami aur equipment kharab hone ki wajah se municipal aur civil defence ke log sambhal nahi paa rahe. Pakistan par is ka direct asar abhi wazeh nahi, lekin aid aur security par nazar rakhna zaroori hai.
