As Rain Hits Gaza, Experts Warn Flooding Could Lead to Disease as Nearly All Tents Become Uninhabitable - Gaza
Heavy rain that fell overnight into Friday and in the early morning hours in the Gaza Strip has caused widespread flooding, leading to concerns about a rise in morbidity.
The worst-hit areas have been the tent cities and displaced persons camps in Gaza City, Khan Yunis and central Gaza. In areas where the sewage system isn't functioning, rainwater has mixed with sewage water.
Health organizations fear this mixture will cause diseases, primarily respiratory ones but also skin diseases and intestinal diseases, to spread.
Rescue and civil defense organizations have reported that hundreds of tents were flooded, while rainwater has penetrated and ruined residents' possessions. Some of the displaced persons have been forced to move to higher ground to flee the rising water.
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Pictures from Gaza show torn tents, drenched children and families seeking additional temporary shelter. International aid organizations warn that if the stormy weather continues, the extent of the damage will grow significantly. The most vulnerable are the elderly, ill and families lacking equipment to provide them with basic protection.
Reports from the Gaza Strip indicate that 93% of the tents are uninhabitable. Out of 135,000 tents, about 125,000 are classified as substandard, many of them after being damaged by extreme weather and Israeli shelling over the past two years.
Hamas and the local authorities in the Gaza Strip say that Israel is restricting the entry of humanitarian aid, which includes emergency tents and mobile housing units. According to Hamas, this is a violation of the humanitarian aid protocol agreed upon as part of the U.S.-brokered cease-fire agreement.