Heavy rain floods thousands of tents in Gaza

Thousands of Palestinian families in displacement camps across the Gaza Strip faced devastation last night as heavy rains and strong winds battered the area.

According to Wafa news agency, the severe weather conditions flooded tents and destroyed shelters, leaving families struggling in the cold and worsening already dire living conditions.

Displaced Palestinians, particularly in southern areas such as Deir Al-Balah and Mawasi Khan Yunis, reported that their tents were blown away by powerful winds, forcing them to suffer the bitter cold without shelter or protection. Many spent the night trying to salvage what they could as rainwater flooded their temporary homes.

Heavy rains flood tents housing displaced Palestinians in central Gaza on 31 December 2024 [Mohammed Asad]

Heavy rains flood tents housing displaced Palestinians in central Gaza on 31 December 2024 [Mohammed Asad]

Heavy rains flood tents housing displaced Palestinians in central Gaza on 31 December 2024 [Mohammed Asad]

Medical sources confirmed the death of another infant in Gaza due to the freezing temperatures, marking the seventh casualty in less than a week linked to the harsh weather and lack of heating. A 20-day-old baby had died on Sunday under similar conditions, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Rescue crews in Gaza responded to hundreds of distress calls from displaced families as heavy rains flooded tents and destroyed homes in the area. Despite their efforts, many evacuees were forced to move to other unsuitable shelters, leaving them exposed to relentless rain and freezing conditions.

Parents pleaded for help to save their children from the rising water, but resources were stretched thin, Wafa reported.

Since 7 October last year, Israel launched an air and land offensive that has killed more than 45,500 people, mostly civilians, according to authorities in the Gaza Strip. Israel has indiscriminately targeted women and children and killed thousands of doctors, journalists, academics and aid workers. Gazans have been deliberately starved, with insufficient food or medicine being allowed to enter the enclave.

The campaign has displaced nearly the entire population of the Strip and left much of the enclave in ruins. Thousands of the dead still remain under the rubble.

READ: 7 killed as cold weather hits Gaza