Footage shows floodwaters submerging Gaza displacement camp
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- A major low-pressure system brought heavy downpours that inundated makeshift shelters
- The Gaza Civil Defense reported answering more than 1,500 emergency calls since dawn
Footage shows torrential rains and floodwaters submerging displacement encampments in Gaza, leaving thousands of displaced Palestinian families exposed to freezing temperatures and standing water as the season’s first winter storm hits.
The video captures water surging through nylon and fabric shelters, ruining bedding, food stores, and personal items.
The Gaza Civil Defense Directorate stated that it has fielded more than 1,500 emergency distress calls from residents in all governorates since the storm system arrived.
"Entire displacement camps have been submerged in rainwater across multiple districts and towns since dawn," the agency said, reporting that makeshift dwellings were swamped and swept away despite pre-storm alerts.
Emergency crews said that local civil defense teams cannot handle the scale of the flooding independently, citing extensive damage to municipal infrastructure and depleted emergency stocks.
"The Civil Defense cannot confront the repercussions of this storm on its own given the scale of the disaster and the severe shortage of equipment, water-extraction pumps, and fuel needed to clear collected rainwater," the directorate said in a statement.
The agency appealed to international relief organizations and regional bodies to dispatch emergency drainage equipment, fuel, and replacement shelter supplies, including waterproof tarpaulins, winter clothing, and blankets.
Officials emphasized that priority must be directed toward vulnerable populations, noting that safeguarding children, women, the elderly, and the sick is essential to prevent the storm from escalating into a deeper humanitarian catastrophe.
