Heavy rains and high waves wash away tents of Gaza's displaced

UN agencies warn around half of Gaza's population are in areas prone to flooding

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Heavy rainfall has severely damaged tents and washed away the belongings of Palestinian families in Gaza who have been displaced several times over the past year due to Israeli attacks on their homes, with the UN warning that the rain has exacerbated people's hardship in the war-torn enclave.

"In Gaza, it is estimated that 1.9 million people (nine in 10) are displaced, the majority in improvised tents unable to withstand the stormy wind," Jonathan Crickx, chief of communication at the UN's agency for children, told The National on Monday. Makeshift tents across refugee camps are typically made of improvised materials which do not keep the rain or the cold out, raising concerns about how Gazans will endure another winter at war.

"Strong winds, dropping temperatures and heavy rains have exacerbated people’s hardship as people’s improvised tents made of cloth, tarpaulin or plastic sheeting cannot withstand the hard winds," he added.

Overnight rain flooded tents or damaged them beyond repair, leaving them unable to continue offering protection to the families relying on the material as a source of shelter. The price of tents and plastic sheets used to make them was already surging before the rainy season began, making access difficult for families.

Elsewhere near the coastal areas, tents were flooded by seawater while others were swept away by high waves. "The sea was dragging children, but we were able to rescue them," Khaled Idris, a displaced Gazan in the Al Mawasi area, told The National, speaking from the site of the destruction caused by the seawater, with pieces of the tents lying scattered on the sand. "What happened to us yesterday is a humanitarian catastrophe," he added.

The UN's Palestinian relief agency warned that around half a million people in Gaza were located in areas prone to flooding. "Harsh winter weather is compounded by heavy rain and rising sea levels, which cause sewage pile-ups and disease," UNRWA said on X.

Rainwater flooded several areas across Gaza, including central and southern Gaza, Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for Gaza's civil defence said. He urged the international community to intervene and provide stronger tents to protect the displaced from the harsh winter conditions.

Mr Crickx said Unicef had provided "dewatering pumps for installation in Gaza city, benefitting around 250,000 people. Cleaning and maintenance of sewage and storm water networks in Deir El Balah, Nuseirat and Khan Younis were implemented, benefitting around 400,000 people" to mitigate the risk of flooding.

“We didn’t sleep, trying to keep the tent standing,” said Muhannad Awad, who is sheltering on Al Yarmouk field – once a vibrant football pitch in Gaza city. “The situation is catastrophic, with no organisation offering oversight or assistance.

Desperate to protect their belongings, many families use whatever resources they have to prevent their tents from collapsing under the pressure of rain and water. “My family and I set up our tent along the Khan Younis shore,” Sobhi Shaheen, a displaced Gazan, explained.

“But it flooded twice this year – first 10 days ago and again today. We moved to a tent with my sister’s family in Al Mawasi, but the situation there is also dire. The water has turned the sand into mud, making it impossible to move, and the freezing cold is unbearable.”

Mohammed Mushtaha, who was displaced from the Shujaiya suburb of Gaza city, also shared his family's struggles. After being displaced once again from Rafah in May, his family had nowhere to go. Eventually, they set up their tent on the beach between Khan Younis and Deir Al Balah, enduring humidity, salty air, and the threat of rising water. “We kept telling ourselves it would be better than facing the winter,” Mr Mushtaha said, fearful of the even colder weather that was approaching.

"Our tents flooded, and the waves swept everything away. Many people lost their tents," he continued. "We fled in fear of drowning. The situation was tragic, especially for children, women, and the elderly.”

For him, the hardest part is the helplessness of not being able to provide for his family. "Our lives are so hard, and thinking about it is devastating," he said. "It’s unbearable when your child tells you, ‘Dad, I’m cold,’ and you can’t do anything, or when he says, ‘I’m hungry,’ and you can’t feed him."