Floods in Gaza raise fears of new disaster

The videos from the Gaza Strip show the full extent of the catastrophe. In a video from Nusserat - in the central part of the coastal strip - you can see the water ankle deep under the tent tarpaulins. A man tries to get the flood water outside with containers. The mud is everywhere.

In Gaza City, on Al Jalaa Street, which was once one of the major traffic arteries, Mohammed Badwi stands under his tarpaulin on which the rain is pelting. Water drips everywhere. Completely soaked children's clothing on the floor. Outside, someone is trying to dig a canal to divert the water.

“You see, this is the result of the storm,” says Badwi. "The entire area is flooded - the sleeping pads, the blankets, everything. And our belongings. The tent is completely torn; our things and blankets are ruined. We've been through so much, especially with the small children." He then talks about his children, who are completely soaked, and asks the camera if anyone could help him with a good time.

Minister: More than a million displaced people affected

These are just the first heavy rains - more will follow in the coming months. For Majed Abu Ramadan, the health minister of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, which is also keeping an eye on the situation in the Gaza Strip, a humanitarian catastrophe is looming: "According to reports, more than 70,000 tents have become uninhabitable, meaning that the people who had sought shelter in them are now at the mercy of the rain and storms," ​​says the minister.

"This means that more than a million displaced people who lived in these tents are now left with nothing and no protection other than the open sky," says Ramadan. "The collapse of infrastructure - including water supplies, roads, housing and of course healthcare - is serious."

Worry about illness

Pat Griffiths, spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Jerusalem, goes even further. He tells the ARD Tel Aviv studio that the entire population in the Gaza Strip, more than two million people, are affected by the weather conditions. Not just those who live in tents. Damaged buildings in which people seek shelter are at risk of collapse. He expects that diseases will spread.

“This causes incredible problems,” explains Griffiths. There are many challenges when it comes to health and hygiene in winter. "And then we see spread of disease that could be preventable. We see people dying from diseases that come from the water that could be preventable."

COGAT also commented on the situation in the Gaza Strip today. The Israeli authority, which is part of the Ministry of Defense, controls what aid comes into the Gaza Strip. COGAT said it was monitoring the situation, a winter plan was being implemented and more than 91,000 tents had already been allowed into the area. The reconstruction of Gaza will only begin when Hamas is completely disarmed.

No quick improvement in sight

Olfat el-Magdoub doesn't have much of the said winter plan so far. The single mother lives in a tent in Gaza City with her four children and told the Reuters news agency on Saturday: "This is the first day it rains and of course we are already flooded. What happens if it rains again the next day?" she asks.

"This is only the first day and we are already overwhelmed," says el-Magdoub. "Two weeks ago when it rained, I swear to God, I slept for four days on blankets spread out on the floor because the rainwater had flooded the sheets, and now the mattresses are wet so we're sleeping on the floor."