Gaza: The Director of the Government Media Office in Gaza, Ismail Al Thawabta, announced that 22,000 tents were completely damaged and thousands of others flooded as a result of successive weather depressions and the lack of basic infrastructure in displacement camps across the Strip.
Al Thawabta stated on Thursday that more than 22,000 tents were entirely damaged, including tarpaulins, insulation materials, and blankets. In contrast, the previous weather depression had flooded tens of thousands of tents, turning the camps into areas filled with water and mud.
He noted that around 1.5 million displaced people are living in extremely harsh conditions inside the camps, while hundreds of thousands of families reside in worn-out tents damaged by both the war and recent storms. He added that emergency shelters have witnessed widespread collapses, and temporary water networks have failed after becoming contaminated with rainwater, increasing pollution and health risks.
Ten mobile medical points have ceased operation, essential medical supplies have been lost, and medical crews are facing severe difficulties reaching large areas of the camps.
Al-Thawabta stressed that the displaced lack the bare minimum for survival and live without protection from the cold, wind, and rain. He emphasized that the humanitarian situation requires urgent intervention to provide shelter and prevent an even greater catastrophe, noting that Gaza urgently needs 300,000 new tents, while only 20,000 have been delivered since the beginning of the crisis.
For the second night in a row, rainwater has flooded displacement camps as a deep low-pressure system continues to affect the region until Friday evening, bringing cold conditions and low temperatures that further exacerbate the suffering of residents and displaced families in the camps.
Approximately 250,000 families are living in displacement camps in the Gaza Strip, facing cold weather and flooding inside deteriorated tents, according to previous statements by Civil Defense authorities.
