Rights Group Holds Israel Responsible for Flooding of Displaced Families’ Tents, Demands Immediate Action

The Gaza Center for Human Rights warned on Saturday of a deepening humanitarian crisis for displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip after heavy rains accompanying a weather depression flooded hundreds of tents, damaging families’ shelters, bedding, blankets and belongings.

In a statement, the center said tents were flooded in various areas across the Strip, including the vicinity of Gaza Port, western Deir al-Balah, the northern Nuseirat camp, and areas of Jabalia, Beit Lahia and Khan Younis, in a scene repeating for the fourth consecutive year, more than three years after the start of Israel’s genocidal war.

It explained that these repercussions come amid a prolonged shelter crisis caused by the widespread destruction of homes and forced displacement, aggravated by Israeli restrictions on the entry of tents and reconstruction materials, as well as the continued prevention of residents from returning to large areas controlled by the occupation.

The center noted that UN humanitarian data show a widening gap between the needs of displaced people and available supplies, with some 294,000 families requiring shelter assistance in preparation for winter, while available quantities suffice for only about 52,000 families, equivalent to 18% of actual need.

It added that around 950,000 Palestinians are living in displacement sites exposed to flood risks, including more than 400,000 people in sites classified as high risk.

The center stressed that the occupation bears primary responsibility for these conditions as the occupying power responsible for destruction, displacement and the imposition of restrictions, emphasizing that international humanitarian law obliges it to ensure the provision of basic needs for civilians and to facilitate the unimpeded passage of relief materials and shelter supplies, and prohibits the use of starvation or deprivation of the means of survival as a means of pressure.

The center called on the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza to assume its direct responsibilities and announce a clear winter emergency plan to coordinate relief efforts, identify the most affected families, and provide safe housing alternatives for displaced people living in valley beds, coastal areas and cracked buildings.

It also held the Peace Council responsible for the international community’s continued failure to provide protection and shelter, stressing that any political arrangements lose their meaning unless they are reflected concretely in the lives of residents.

The Gaza Center for Human Rights urged the international community and the United Nations to exert urgent pressure on the occupation authorities to allow the entry of sturdy tents, heating and insulation materials and water drainage equipment without restrictions, along with evacuating families from dangerous sites and providing safe shelter centers that preserve their human dignity.