Rain Swamps Camps in Gaza

Winter rain lashed the Gaza Strip over the weekend, flooding camps with ankle-deep puddles as Palestinians displaced by two years of war attempted to stay dry in tents frayed by months of use. In the southern city of Khan Younis, blankets, and mattresses were soaked and clay ovens meant for cooking were swamped, the AP reports. Children wearing flip-flops and light clothing waded through puddles as some people used shovels to try to push water out of tents. "We drowned last night," said Majdoleen Tarabein, who was displaced from Rafah in southern Gaza. "Puddles formed, and there was a bad smell. The tent flew away. We don't know what to do or where to go."

At least 12 people, including a 2-week-old infant, have died since Dec. 13 of hypothermia or weather-related collapses of war-damaged homes, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government. Emergency workers have warned people not to stay in damaged buildings because they could collapse. But with much of the territory in rubble, there are few places to escape the rain. The United Nations in July estimated that almost 80% of buildings in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged. "Harsh winter weather is compounding more than two years of suffering," Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the top UN group overseeing aid in Gaza, wrote on social media. "People in Gaza are surviving in flimsy, waterlogged tents and among ruins."