GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: A barefoot Niven Abu Zreina swept an incessant stream of water away from her tent, as the season’s first big rain hit her makeshift displacement camp in Gaza City.
“I’ve been trying since morning to sweep away the rainwater that flooded our tent,” the Palestinian told AFP, her wet hijab sticking to her face.
“The scene speaks for itself. Rainwater soaked our clothes and mattress,” she said, while next to her a relative kept sweeping away the rain, also barefoot.
Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for Gaza’s civil defense agency, warned on Friday that the water had overwhelmed thousands of tents erected to cope with the mass displacement caused by the war.
“Since dawn today, we have received hundreds of appeals from displaced citizens whose homes and tents have been flooded by the rain,” Bassal said, adding that there were not enough tents to begin with.
