Another phase of the current catastrophe that the displaced Palestinians, who are taking shelter in the yards of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah City, are going through is coping with the heavy rain that has hit the Gaza Strip.
It took a little less than 10 minutes for the tents, which are made of scraps of plastic or fabric, to be flooded completely with water and for the land to be turned into swamps, obstructing the movement of people.
Rainwater, at least a meter deep, overwhelmed the people inside the tents, soaking all existing clothes and covers.
This is my tent. It is made of plastic and has an area of four square meters. My family consists of 13 members; we all sleep inside this tent.
After it rained the tent was engulfed by half a meter of rain water that soaked our clothes and blankets. Thus we hug each other to warm the children.
We will remain steadfast no matter what happens.
Displaced Palestinian
It took just a few seconds for everyone who had taken refuge at the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital to realize that they were trapped, cornered by the hardship of obtaining basic humanitarian needs and the unforgiving atmospheric conditions.
Civil defense crews, already totally overwhelmed in their attempts to recover bodies from under the rubble of houses destroyed by Israeli missile strikes, rushed to help the public despite the lack of necessary equipment.
You can see the people here are living in tents which were totally flooded with rain water because these tents are not designed or prepared to endure this heavy rain.
Despite the lack of the needed equipment, we managed to help the people using some primitive means.
However, these tents need to be rehabilitated in order to provide protection against the harsh winter.
Rescue Worker
At least 4000 Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, have been taking shelter at the Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital since the Israeli forces launched a ground offensive in the northern part of the Gaza Strip and in Gaza City.
This is another dark chapter of continuous suffering for the displaced Palestinians at the Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, exacerbated by the continuous heavy rain and flooding.
For the Internally displaced living inside tents which are not designed or set up to protect them from such unprecedented conditions, this is a continuation of the distress that the Palestinian people are experiencing.
