The heavy rainfall recorded in the Gaza Strip during the last twelve hours has caused severe flooding that has left under water around 70,000 tents where Palestinians displaced by the Israeli military offensive against the enclave are surviving, further deepening the already extreme vulnerability of this population.
In the north of the Gaza Strip, two Palestinians have been injured after a wall collapsed due to the rains. The structure had already been damaged previously by an Israeli bombardment, which has favored its collapse in the storm.
In total, around 270,000 tents are currently used to house families displaced in Gaza. More than 400,000 people live in areas prone to flooding or in coastal areas, which increases their exposure to the winter’s episodes of heavy rainfall. This situation is exacerbated by a shortage of fuel and essential supplies resulting from the Israeli blockade.
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamás), which administers the Gaza Strip, has blamed Israel and the international community for the “humanitarian catastrophe” suffered by Palestinian territory. The organization criticizes in particular the role of the international community and of the Peace Council included in the peace plan for Gaza promoted by the U.S. president, Donald Trump.
Hamás spokesperson Hazem Qasem has specifically pointed to the representative of that Peace Council for their “failure to achieve the entry of humanitarian aid and silence in the face of the crime of the blockade imposed on more than two million Palestinians”.
Qasem calls for pressure to be put on Israel to “fulfill its obligations” and allow access for humanitarian aid and shelter materials that help alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian population. He also urges the Arab League to take “urgent and effective” action in response to the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza.
“The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is worsening with the arrival of winter and hundreds of thousands of displaced people are without a home, heating, or shelter material” after the Israeli “war of extermination,” Qasem added.
For its part, the Movimiento Al Fatá, which governs in the West Bank, has described what is happening as a “continuation of genocide,” according to the spokesperson Abdelfatá Daula. “The international community has moral and legal responsibility,” he emphasized, while calling for forcing Israel to respect the ceasefire agreement, authorizing the entry of humanitarian aid, and facilitating the tasks of reconstruction.