Gaza faces more deadly floods without urgent drainage repairs

The head of Gaza's Government Media Office, Ismail al-Thawabta, warned that further deadly flooding will hit Gaza this winter unless Israel allows materials to repair destroyed drainage networks to enter the territory. A storm on Friday flooded 70,000 tents within 12 hours, collapsing walls and causing an estimated $3 million in damage, with rescue teams still searching for missing people after a sand dike collapsed in Deir al-Balah. Al-Thawabta said Israel has destroyed over 93% of Gaza's sanitation and stormwater infrastructure, and called on ceasefire mediators to pressure Israel to open crossings for humanitarian aid and repair supplies. The UN warned in October that about 950,000 Palestinians live in displacement sites at moderate to high flood risk, and the ceasefire agreement allows 600 aid trucks daily, but only about 30% of that total enters on days deliveries are permitted.