Floods in Gaza leave tens of thousands without shelter

Palestinian Civil Defence reports more than 1,500 emergency calls as thousands of tents and shelters destroyed after heavy rains. Flooding caused by heavy rains has damaged shelters and tents belonging to tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, authorities said. Reporting from Gaza City in northern Gaza on Sunday, Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim al-Khalili said the makeshift tents many Palestinians have been forced to live in do not provide adequate shelter from harsh weather.

“The latest storm exposed just how fragile the protection is. In just a few hours, heavy rains and strong winds tore through shelters families had spent days trying to reinforce,” al-Khalili said. He reported seeing soaked mattresses, pillows and clothes, saying nearly 400,000 displaced Palestinians are sheltering in locations considered “highly vulnerable” to more flooding.

Heavy rain and strong winds have hit Gaza since late Friday, flooding 70,000 tents and bringing down dozens of walls, according to the Government Media Office.