Gaza’s first winter storm floods tents as aid groups blame Israeli restrictions for ‘man-made catastrophe’
Gaza's first winter storm has flooded thousands of tents, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis for displaced families. Aid groups are calling the situation a 'man-made catastrophe,' citing Israeli restrictions on shelter supplies as a primary cause.
Why it matters
The intersection of extreme weather and restricted humanitarian aid creates life-threatening conditions for over a million displaced people.
LONDON: Salma woke in the dark to water seeping into her family’s tent from above and pooling beneath them. She had layered tarpaulins over the tent in Al-Mawasi, in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, hoping to keep out the rain. But it made no difference.
“No matter what kind of tent you have, the water always finds its way in,” Salma, whose name has been changed at her request, told Arab News.
“No one cares about Gaza. Maybe what’s happening now might entertain people outside who are bored and want to read a sad story,” she said.
Her family was among tens of thousands caught in Gaza’s first winter storm, which flooded about 70,000 tents in a single day over the weekend, according to Save the Children.
Civil Defense received more than 1,500 distress calls as families fled waterlogged camps overnight, the aid group said on Sunday.
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