Reported by Al Jazeera
Floods have swept through Gaza after heavy rain, endangering families and putting war-damaged buildings at risk.
Gaza City – Rana Adnan Hmeida, 29, stands at the entrance to her tent in al-Mina camp in northern Gaza, holding her two-month-old daughter as she tries to keep her warm after rainwater has flooded their shelter overnight. The family’s bedding, blankets and clothes are all soaked, with her children exposed to the cold and wind of Gaza’s latest storm.
Hmeida, her husband and children have been awake since midnight as heavy rain and strong winds swept through the camp. Water seeped into the tent and drenched their belongings. With all their clothes wet, Hmeida had to ask neighbours to help dry their clothes.
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“Since midnight, we have been sitting awake. Water came into our tent, and the bedding, blankets and everything else got soaked. In the morning, I found my son and little daughter shivering. My two-month-old baby was freezing,” Hmeida told Al Jazeera.
“What am I supposed to do? Hold my children or try to stop the water? I was trying to keep them warm while carrying my little girl, but the water kept coming in. The wind was so strong that we felt the tent was about to be ripped out of the ground.”
Her husband, Sameh Hmeida, 30, said the family’s tent is particularly exposed due to its close proximity to the sea. It has no tarpaulins or insulating materials that might have helped in the storm.
Heavy rain has flooded camps and cities across Gaza over the past days, where many Palestinians are spending the fourth winter outside their homes since Israel began its genocidal war on the enclave in October 2023.
Water levels have risen by 30 to 40cm (12 to 16in) at several camps in Gaza due to Saturday’s rain, with Gaza’s civil defence agency receiving hundreds of calls.
Rainwater has flooded many tents in al-Mina camp, where about 1,700 Palestinian families live, turning the ground into pools of muddy water.
Raed Abu Amsha, 40, said his tent collapsed on top of his family during the storm.…