Gaza Families Struggle To Recover From Days of Deadly Torrential Rains

Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip – Gazan residents are struggling to recover after days of heavy rainfall battered the area, causing extensive flooding and damage. Camps for displaced people were particularly hard hit, and already weakened buildings collapsed. At least 12 people have died as a result, including a two-week-old infant.

The intense downpour, which saw over 150 millimeters (approximately 9 inches) of rain in some areas of Gaza over the past week, transformed dirt roads into mud and inundated tents in displacement camps.

The Gaza Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government, reported that the two-week-old baby died from hypothermia as a direct result of the severe weather. The infant had been admitted to the hospital several days prior and was in intensive care before passing away on Monday.

In Gaza City, Shifa Hospital reported the death of a man after a home, already damaged during previous Israeli strikes, collapsed due to the heavy rains.

According to the al-Hosari family, the collapsed building housed 30 people, but only nine were present when it gave way. The deceased was a worker who had been hired to repair the walls. Five other people sustained injuries.

The Health Ministry also stated that the other ten fatalities occurred last week, also due to buildings collapsing as a result of the rain and strong winds.

Emergency personnel have cautioned people against remaining in damaged structures, citing the risk of further collapses. That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. with much of the region reduced to rubble, there are few safe places to seek shelter from the elements. A United Nations Satellite Center estimate from July indicated that nearly 80% of Gaza's buildings have been either destroyed or damaged.

Mohammed Gharableh, a father displaced from Rafah, stated that news of a storm completely changes their lives, forcing them to consider where to find safe and warm shelter for their family. He added that during each storm, water seeps into their tents, soaking mattresses and blankets.

In Israel, areas near Gaza experienced between 60 mm and 160 mm (2 to 6 inches) of rain over the past week, according to the Israel Meteorological Service. In some instances, this is more than double the average rainfall for this time of year.

Aid organizations report that despite a ceasefire that has been in place for two months, insufficient shelter materials have entered Gaza to adequately prepare Palestinians for the approaching winter.

While Israel disputes the finding, recently released Israeli military figures suggest that it has not met the ceasefire requirement of allowing 600 trucks of aid into Gaza daily.

The majority of Gaza's 2 million residents have been displaced, with many living in sprawling tent encampments along the coast or among the ruins of damaged buildings. These areas lack proper drainage infrastructure, and people are relying on cesspits dug near tents for sanitation.

COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for coordinating aid to Gaza, reports that nearly 270,000 tents and tarps, along with winter supplies, shelter equipment, and sanitation items, have been delivered to Gaza in recent months.

That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. some aid groups challenge these figures, asserting that more supplies, particularly winter-related items, are urgently needed.

Shelter Cluster, an international coalition of aid providers led by the Norwegian Refugee Council, reported last week that it has tracked only 68,000 tents entering Gaza through the U.N., NGOs, and various countries. They also noted that many of these tents lack adequate insulation for winter conditions.

During a U.N. Security Council meeting on Tuesday, officials stated that the U.N. is distributing tents, blankets, and other winter supplies, but that the risk of hypothermia is increasing as winter weather approaches.

In a separate development, the Israeli military announced Tuesday that it has closed an investigation into a soldier who allowed an Israeli archaeologist to accompany troops into southern Lebanon to a historic fortress in November of the previous year.

The visit occurred before the U.S. and France-brokered ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah took effect, and while the Israeli military was conducting operations in southern Lebanon to destroy Hezbollah's military infrastructure.

The archaeologist, Zeev Erlich, 70, a well-known figure and settler leader in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, was killed in a Hezbollah ambush along with an Israeli soldier. Erlich was not on active duty but had entered Lebanon with Israeli troops while armed and wearing a military uniform.

The Israeli military launched an investigation into how a civilian was permitted to enter Lebanon and initially recommended charging the infantry commander who brought Erlich, Yoav Yarom, with reckless homicide.

On Tuesday, the military attorney general announced that the military had decided to close the investigation without filing criminal charges but recommended internal disciplinary action within the military.