Gaza: Torrential rain adds to the misery of displaced citizens

Recent pouring rain, which started overnight Wednesday, flooded tent camps and shelter centers and washed away mattresses, food and clothes in northern and southern Gaza.

Palestinian civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal told Anadolu news agency that heavy rains swamped many low-lying areas in Gaza.

“We received more than a thousand warnings about flooded tents and homes in various governorates of Gaza,” he added.

“What hinders the work of civil defense crews is the lack of the necessary amounts of fuel to operate rainwater pumps and move rescue vehicles to flooded areas,” the spokesman said.

“With water standing in tents, diseases are likely to spread,” he warned.

Hosni Muhanna, coordinator of the Union of the Gaza Strip Municipalities, said rainwater mixed with sewage overflew ponds in the north of Gaza City.