Heavy rain floods tens of thousands of Gaza tents

Heavy rain flooded tens of thousands of tents sheltering displaced Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, leaving families with soaked bedding and limited protection from the cold. Gaza’s government media office said at least 70,000 tents were flooded within 12 hours, affecting tens of thousands of people. It reported injuries and no fatalities at the time of its statement.

Residents described water entering makeshift shelters and ruining mattresses and clothes. In Gaza City’s al-Tuffah neighbourhood, Mansour al-Sakni, 33, said his family had replaced its tarpaulins two weeks earlier, but rain still flooded their rooftop shelter. He said he, his wife and four children waited inside for the rain to stop before trying to push out the water.

Other families said they had been forced from flooded tents or were sleeping on wet bedding or the ground. Um Muhammad al-Hersh, who lives with her family in a tent in western Gaza, said their mattresses could not be saved and their clothes were soaked. Maryam Odeh, in Deir al-Balah, said she did not know where her children would sleep.

Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said the agency received about 1,500 distress calls after the...