Children among the dead as heavy rains flood tents and shelters in Gaza

This article is published in association with United Nations.

An infant reportedly drowned and five Gazans were killed – including three children – when a sand dune collapsed on their tents as the first heavy rains swept across the enclave at the weekend, according to the UN aid coordination office (OCHA).

Thousands of families lost their shelters and belongings as rain and strong winds began lashing Gaza on Friday night, flooding displacement sites, collapsing damaged buildings and disrupting services across all five governorates, OCHA said in an update released on Monday.

The dune collapsed onto tents at Al Berka Reservoir, west of Deir Al Balah, killing three children and two women and injuring one other person, according to local authorities.

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Speaking from Ramallah, UN Deputy Special Coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov said that while rain could not be prevented, more must be done to protect the vulnerable, noting that most Gazans are living in worn-out tents that cannot withstand what would be considered a moderate storm elsewhere.

Some 65 per cent of Gaza’s population, about 1.4 million people, live in tents or makeshift shelters.

Shelters destroyed

By 8 November, humanitarian partners had received appeals for aid from more than 26,000 households whose shelters or belongings were damaged. More than 6,000 family shelters were reportedly destroyed and 17,400 damaged, and more than 3,900 households currently have no shelter at all.

Partners have so far assessed the needs of 1,877 households and supported 422 households at 29 displacement sites.

Water levels rose to 1.5 metres in some locations, and civil defence units received 2,166 distress calls but could respond to only 218.

At least 55 learning spaces serving some 55,000 children were also flooded. Health facilities were also damaged forcing some medical teams to suspend services. Mine action partners warned that floodwaters could expose or displace explosive ordnance.

UN aid recovery effort

The UN and its partners are pumping out water, improving drainage, reinforcing sites with sandbags, repairing shelters and delivering emergency supplies. But humanitarian stocks of tents, tarpaulins, blankets and clothes inside Gaza are virtually exhausted.

Residents of one tent camp in Deir Al Balah said overflowing sewage had surged in with the floodwater, soaking mattresses, clothing and other belongings.

More than 150,000 tents purchased by humanitarian partners and Member States are outside Gaza ready to be dispatched, including about 117,000 from the Egyptian Relief Committee in Al-Arish.

Mr. Alakbarov called for the urgent lifting of all unnecessary restrictions and delays, including those preventing aid organizations from bringing in enough vacuum trucks, dewatering pumps, heavy machinery, engine oil, spare parts, tents, tarpaulins, plastic sheeting, blankets and winter clothing.

In response to a journalist’s question, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told Monday’s daily news briefing that Israeli efforts to facilitate rebuilding in Gaza had been insufficient.

“We certainly can be getting more in. We just need the permissions from the Israeli authorities to get them in through the various checkpoints.”

Meanwhile, strikes continue to hit populated areas. On Saturday, UN personnel visiting a displacement site in Gaza City had to take cover when gunfire erupted nearby.