Heavy rains flood makeshift camps for displaced Palestinians in Gaza

Torrential rains have inundated temporary tent camps across the Gaza Strip, submerging the makeshift shelters of Palestinians already displaced by ongoing Israeli military operations. The severe weather has created extensive flooding throughout areas like Khan Younis in southern Gaza, where displaced families now confront contaminated water and mud in their living spaces amid near-total infrastructure collapse.

Catastrophic Infrastructure Damage

Khan Younis Municipality spokesperson Saib Lakan described the situation as catastrophic, noting that Israeli military operations have destroyed approximately 90% of the area's infrastructure, including 220 kilometers of road networks and crucial rainwater drainage systems. Lakan reported that approximately 900,000 displaced persons and local residents in Khan Younis alone now directly face the severe weather's effects with minimal protection or municipal support services.

Primitive Living Conditions Worsen

The flooding has transformed camp grounds into expanses of water and mud, destroying numerous tents where families have sought refuge after losing their homes to airstrikes. In northern Gaza's Jabaliya Camp, families struggle to find even basic tent shelter, with some like Palestinian Ismail al-Najjar forced to inhabit makeshift caves dug beneath the rubble of their destroyed homes. Al-Najjar described living under collapsing structures yet having "nowhere else to go" with his children amid the severe housing shortage.

Emergency Services Paralyzed

Gaza's Civil Defense Directorate announced it has suspended most emergency operations due to Israeli restrictions preventing fuel supplies from reaching their limited vehicle fleet. The directorate warned that emergency response efforts have reached a complete standstill without adequate fuel supplies and issued urgent appeals to the international community to prevent further humanitarian catastrophe by delivering essential equipment and fuel to Gaza's civil protection teams.