Recent heavy rainfall and flooding have damaged thousands of temporary shelters across the Gaza Strip, compounding challenges for the displaced population, according to United Nations agencies and local reports. The adverse weather, which included strong winds and lower temperatures, has inundated displacement camps, particularly in areas like Deir el-Balah.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported last week that downpours had damaged at least 13,000 tents. Hani Mahmoud, a correspondent for Al Jazeera in Gaza City, reported on Nov. 25 that many displacement areas had been turned into “pools of muddy water,” with some locations completely submerged by rainwater mixed with sewage.
Displaced individuals described the impact of the weather on their temporary living arrangements. “All the tents are destroyed. Our tents are just made of fabric,” Assmaa Fayad, a displaced Palestinian, told Al Jazeera.
Aid organizations estimate that at least 300,000 mobile homes and tents are needed to properly shelter those displaced by the conflict. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has stated that more than 79,000 people are currently housed in 85 of its shelters throughout the Gaza Strip. In a social media post, the UNHCR noted that “thousands of internally displaced people in the Gaza Strip are struggling to find safe shelter” and that “more shelter materials are still needed.”
The situation has drawn attention to the volume of aid entering the territory. A U.S.-brokered ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10 included provisions for 600 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily. However, Gaza’s Government Media Office reported that an average of 145 trucks have entered daily since the ceasefire began.
Several Palestinian groups have commented on the conditions. The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement issued a statement connecting the flooding of tents to “the Zionist [Israeli] siege policy and the prevention of the entry of basic necessities.” The group called on the international community to “take immediate action and pressure the Zionist enemy to open the crossings.”
Similarly, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem stated via Telegram, “All the world’s efforts to alleviate the disaster have failed because of the Israeli siege.”
While weather conditions reportedly improved on Wednesday with sunny skies, Al Jazeera’s correspondent noted that residents remained concerned about the potential for winds to increase again in the evening.
