Civil Defense: Gaza was flooded in two hours of rain

Major Mahmoud Bassal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense in Gaza, warned that the Gaza Strip is entering a winter season that is “the most dangerous and unprecedented” due to the widespread destruction of infrastructure and basic facilities caused by the Israeli war. This leaves the lives of hundreds of thousands of displaced people threatened with every storm.

In a press statement on Saturday, Bassal said that protecting the population under the current conditions requires a minimum of 450,000 tents to provide shelter. He stressed that the majority of tents and tarpaulins currently available are “completely unsuitable” for weathering the rain or wind. He added that thousands of families have been left homeless after their houses were destroyed, while others are living in dilapidated buildings “that could collapse at any moment.”

The spokesperson explained that winter brings increased dangers, most notably the potential for homes to collapse due to strong winds and torrential rains, given the collapse of drainage, sewage, road, and water networks. He said that any amount of heavy rainfall could turn into uncontrollable floods due to the complete lack of infrastructure.

Bassal pointed out that the Civil Defense apparatus has suffered near-total destruction of its operational capabilities, including vehicles, equipment, and rescue and firefighting resources, in addition to the collapse of its crisis and disaster management system. This renders its ability to intervene “extremely limited” in the face of the scale of the risks confronting the population.

According to the spokesperson, this situation opens the door for natural weather depressions to transform into a “comprehensive humanitarian catastrophe,” warning that the coming weeks could be “the most dangerous ever” if immediate action is not taken.

Basal concluded by calling on the international community to take urgent action and provide tents, winter supplies, and the necessary operational equipment for civil defense, stressing that the sector is facing a winter that “could cause a widespread disaster if Gaza continues to be deprived of protection and shelter supplies.”