Heavy rain floods tents across Gaza, leaving some residents without shelter

Heavy rain has flooded tents sheltering displaced Palestinians across Gaza, with some residents saying they have been left without shelter. The flooding adds to the difficulties facing families displaced by the war and living in tents.

Gaza’s Hamas-run government estimated that about 70,000 tents had flooded in the 12 hours before its statement on Saturday. The figure refers to tents, not a count of people affected.

In a Gaza City camp, Reuters reported that residents tried to repair their tents and used sand to keep water out. Others helped their children out of flooded shelters.

Gaza’s civil defence agency told Al Jazeera it had received about 1,500 distress calls in the first ten hours after the rain began. Its spokesman, Mahmoud Basal, said a few shelter centres had been completely flooded.

Jonathan Veitch, Unicef’s representative for Palestine, told the BBC from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza that aid workers were being stopped in the street by people begging for help. He said the heavy flooding meant nearly everyone needed assistance.