First rainfall spells disaster for displaced Gaza families as winter approaches
Displaced Palestinian families clear their tents of seawater after the tide damaged their encampment in Khan Younis, 15 September 2024
Tareq S. Hajjaj reports in Mondoweiss on 20September 2024 :
Only a few feet away from the water, thousands of tents are sprawled across Gaza’s sandy beaches. Displaced families are trying to build sand barriers to prevent the incoming tide from flooding their living quarters. The ebb and flow of the tide has already cost several families their tents, who are now trying to pack up and find drier land. These were scenes that were taking place in Gaza last week, as Palestinians in the strip experienced the first rainfall of the season.
Last week’s rains revealed the environmental and health disaster looming over the millions of displaced persons crowded in densely packed tent encampments or bombed-out neighborhoods towards the center and north of Gaza, where hardly any infrastructure is left. Throughout its ongoing genocidal war, the Israeli army has destroyed 655,000 meters of sewage lines and 330,000 meters of water lines according to Gaza’s Governmental Media Office.
This means displaced families across Gaza will be faced with two choices during the incoming winter season, during which floods have become increasingly common: either sink in sewage water in Gaza’s decimated urban landscape, or get swallowed up by the rising tide in the tent encampments by the sea.
‘The waves dragged our kids away’
Atiya Abu Banan, 28, is a father to a one-year-old daughter and lives in an encampment on the beach near Khan Younis. His family’s tent was flooded after rainstorms passed through Gaza last week, causing the tide to rise. He spent the entire night on September 15 standing in inches of sea water, his feet soaking wet, while holding his daughter up to protect her from the water. The waves had damaged part of his tent and soaked his family’s belongings, including their clothing and food.