Rain floods Gaza camps as displaced Palestinians battle winter: Report

Heavy rain is deepening the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where displaced Palestinians are struggling to survive in flimsy, makeshift shelters in storms that have killed at least 14 people.

“The situation is extremely grim on the ground,” Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum reported from Gaza City on Tuesday, as downpours batter displacement sites where families live in tents made from plastic sheets, fabric and scrap materials.

Rainwater has flooded large areas, turning the ground to mud and seeping into tents, destroying what little people have left. Displaced residents say shelters provide “very little protection against the rain”, with almost no access to waterproof materials and no drainage systems to divert floodwater.

Aid agencies warn that the weather is accelerating an already dire crisis, while Israel continues to block the entry of tents and mobile homes. As a result, some displaced Palestinians are forced to shelter in partially destroyed buildings, risking collapse as the rain intensifies.