The lives of hundreds of thousands of displaced people in the Gaza Strip have witnessed a new tragedy that has exacerbated their suffering, due to heavy rainwater that flooded their tents and shelters where they gather.

Due to the continued weather depression affecting the Palestinian territories, manifested in heavy rains last night, thousands of tents and shelters in northern and southern Gaza were flooded, resulting in material damage to property and coverings.

At the same time, the harsh conditions for the displaced are increasing due to the lack of coverings, heavy clothing, and heating methods to face the winter weather.

Lack of food and coverings

Palestinian Civil Defense spokesperson Mohammad Basal said in a statement to Anadolu Agency that "the heavy rains warn of major floods in many low-lying areas full of displaced tents in Gaza," pointing to receiving more than a thousand signals and alerts about tents and homes flooding in various Gaza governorates.

Difficulty of rescue means

Basal pointed out that the lack of necessary fuel quantities to operate rainwater pumps and to move rescue vehicles to flooded areas hinders the work of civil defense teams, warning of the suffering felt by the displaced due to difficult living conditions and the deterioration of the health system in light of food shortages and rising prices, amid fears of the spread of diseases and epidemics among them.

For his part, the coordinator of the Gaza Strip Municipalities Union, Hosni Muhanna, warned of sewage water leakage into citizens' homes and shelters due to weather factors and heavy rains, expressing his concern about the overflow of rainwater mixed with sewage in the Sheikh Radwan and Abu Rashid ponds north of Gaza City, after the water level inside the two ponds reached unprecedented levels.

He stressed the necessity of providing the necessary fuel to operate water pumps in rainwater collection ponds.

Since the start of the Zionist aggression on the Gaza Strip on October 7, the number of displaced Palestinians has reached about two million people, living in difficult humanitarian conditions due to the blockade and lack of basic needs, amid fears of disease spread as a result.

The death toll in the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since October 7 has risen to more than 26,000 martyrs, in addition to about 64,500 injured.