KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza: Rain lashed the Gaza Strip over the weekend, flooding makeshift encampments with ankle-deep puddles as Palestinians displaced by the two-year war attempted to stay dry in tents frayed by months of use. Muddy water soaked blankets and mattresses in tents in a camp in Khan Younis and fragile shelters were propped up with old pieces of wood. Children wearing flip-flops and light clothing ill-suited for winter waded through the freezing puddles, which turned dirt roads into rivers. Some people used shovels to try to push the water out of their tents.

Authorities in the enclave warn that the downpour could intensify into a full-blown storm.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: Barefoot children played on chilly sand as Gaza ‘s thousands of displaced people prepared threadbare tents on Saturday for another round of winter rain.…