Heavy rain floods more than 70,000 tents of displaced people in Gaza

Heavy rain has flooded tents sheltering displaced Palestinians across the Gaza Strip. Gaza's Government Media Office says more than 70,000 tents have been flooded since the rain began late on Friday.

Al Jazeera reported that hundreds of thousands of displaced people are staying in locations considered highly vulnerable to flooding. France 24 said torrential rain this week has soaked makeshift camps, leaving many people without shelter as winter approaches.

In az-Zawayda, in central Gaza, rain on Saturday night flooded the tent of Jaber al-Kaseeh, soaking mattresses, carpets and blankets and spoiling food. He is in his 70s and originally from Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza. This is the fourth winter his family has spent in a tent. "All the tents are now damaged, torn and covered in mud," he said.

He said his camp was flooded three or four times last winter and that about 40 tents remain there. Om Hani Hamouda, a displaced woman from Beit Lahiya also sheltering in al-Zawayda, has been displaced about 15 times during the war. "We did not expect that the first rainfall would leave us in this condition," she said.

The ceasefire deal signed between Israel and Hamas more than a year ago included provisions for temporary housing units, tents and heavy machinery to clear rubble. Al Jazeera reports that Israel has blocked the entry of 60,000 mobile homes and 200,000 tents, and that only 20,000 tents have been allowed in. Mobile homes have remained parked on the Egyptian side of the border, many for more than two years.

The UN humanitarian office OCHA says Gaza needs approximately 121,000 tents and 561,000 tarpaulins, and that available stocks are far below what is needed.

Ramy Abdu, chairman of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, said large quantities of tents, caravans and shelter equipment remain stranded at Gaza's borders because of Israeli restrictions. He said Israel continues to reject shipments containing timber and emergency shelter kits, and that as the occupying power it is legally obliged under the Fourth Geneva Convention to ensure essential supplies reach civilians.

Abdu said about 85 percent of homes in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged. "Today, we cannot even say that those living in houses and apartments are safe from extreme weather because, with around 85 percent of homes destroyed or damaged, every family is exposed to some degree of harsh weather conditions," he said.