Gaza City, 9 October

At least 350,000 people were left without any shelter after storms over the rain flooded 70,000 tents in Gaza’s displacement sites. The stormwater is now mixing with sewage, as Israel’s relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave’s civic infrastructure, raising fears that diseases could spread in the congested region. 

“Is the world waiting for our children to freeze?” Gaza Health Ministry Director-General Munir al-Bursh stated on Sunday. 

Israeli attacks over three years have destroyed 220,000m of sewage pipes and 15,000m of storm drains, cutting drainage capacity by over 80 per cent, according to the Palestine government’s communication department. This could not be independently verified. 

Landslides and mudslides have already killed a woman and four children, according to the Civil Defence Department, while numerous walls previously damaged by Israel have collapsed. 

Visuals from the displacement camps show people standing in knee-deep water, with water reaching 1.5 meters in some areas.

UNICEF warned that the Sheikh Radwan pond, normally the floodwater pond in Gaza City, cannot drain the excess water because the whole system has been damaged, including the pumping station. 

“This is a very toxic pond,” a representative said, warning that it was mixing with sewage and could spill over soon. “We have the tools to fix this, but we have not been allowed to."