Heavy rains have flooded the tents of displaced Palestinians across Gaza, deepening the misery of the 2.3 million people who have suffered incessant Israeli bombardments since last October.
“We ran in the middle of the night, rainwater flooded the tent, there was no food left, the children screamed and I’m afraid they will get sick,” said Rami, 37 years old, a man moved to Gaza City in a former football stadium.
The Palestinian Civil Defense said thousands of displaced people were affected by seasonal flooding and requested new tents and caravans from donors to protect them.
“The rains caused serious damage to the tents sheltering thousands of displaced people, with water flowing inside the tents and damaging luggage and mattresses,” Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said on Sunday. , in a press release.
“The current situation portends a real humanitarian catastrophe if immediate intervention does not take place,” he warned.
The spokesperson called on the United Nations and the international community to intervene quickly to provide tents and caravans for displaced civilians in Gaza during the winter.
Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed more than 44,000 people and uprooted almost the entire population at least once, while reducing large swathes of this narrow coastal territory to rubble.
On Thursday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case before the International Court of Justice over its brutal war on Gaza.