Displaced Gazans face floods, urgent supplies blocked
Hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans face flooding of their tents and shelters due to heavy rains, and supplies for shelters and sandbags are not allowed into the settlement, the UN International Organization for Migration said.
Heavy rain lashed the Gaza Strip on Thursday, flooding tents sheltering families displaced by two years of war and leading to the death of a girl who was exposed to the rain, local health officials said.
A total of 12 people were killed or missing as a result of the storm, at least 13 buildings collapsed and 27,000 tents were flooded, the Hamas-run Gaza government’s media office said Friday.
The IOM said about 795,000 displaced people were at risk of potentially dangerous flooding in low-lying, debris-filled areas where families lived in unsafe shelters. Inadequate drainage and waste management also increase the risk of disease outbreaks, the UN agency added.
Materials such as wood and plywood to help strengthen shelters, as well as sandbags and water pumps to help with floods, were also delayed in entering Gaza due to access restrictions, IOM said.
Israel says it has fulfilled its obligations and accuses institutions of inefficiency and failure to prevent Hamas theft, which the group denies. COGAT, Israel’s military arm that oversees humanitarian affairs, had no immediate comment.
In a displacement camp in Nuseyrat in central Gaza, ankle-deep water pooled around tents, soaking mattresses, shoes and clothes. Youssef Tawtah, 50, was trying to drain the water with a bucket, but he had nowhere to go and appeared to be making little progress.
“We were up all night with the kids,” he said.
“How can kids deal with this?”
He carried a soggy mattress into the floodwaters while his family gathered around a small open fire on the beach near the tent. Even cooking will be difficult. “Our food spoiled,” he said.
IOM added that supplies already sent to Gaza, including waterproof tents, thermal blankets and tarpaulins, would not be able to withstand the flooding.
“Families are trying to protect their children with everything they have after this storm made landfall yesterday,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope.
A general ceasefire has been in place since October, but the war has destroyed much of Gaza’s infrastructure and living conditions are dire. UN and Palestinian officials said at least 300,000 new tents were urgently needed for the nearly 1.5 million people still displaced.
The World Health Organization said more than 4,000 people live in areas it defines as high-risk on the coast, while 1,000 people are directly affected by high waves coming from the sea.
He warned of health risks from pollution.
“Thousands of families are sheltering in these low-lying, debris-filled coastal areas where there is no drainage or protective barriers and there are piles of garbage all over the roads,” said WHO representative Rik Peeperkorn.
