First winter rains soak makeshift Gaza tents

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Winter's first strong rainfall sent water cascading through parts of Gaza's sprawling Mawasi tent camp on Saturday, as the territory struggles to cope with flooding and devastated infrastructure after two years of conflict.

Residents attempted to dig trenches to keep the water from flooding their tents, as intermittent rain that began on Friday dripped through tears in tarpaulins and makeshift shelters. The bursts soaked families' scant belongings. Strong winds can also topple tents and hamper attempts to gather scarce food and supplies.

Two weeks ago, Bassil Naggar bought a new tent on the black market for the equivalent of about $712, because the summer sun had worn his old tent thin. Still, rainwater was leaking through.

"I spent all (Friday) pushing water out of my tent," Naggar said, adding that his neighbors' tents and belongings were wrecked. "Water puddles are inches high, and there is no proper drainage."

Barefooted children splashed in puddles as women made tea outside under dark clouds. Some people tried to shelter in destroyed buildings, even those at risk of collapse, with gaping holes covered by pieces of plastic.

According to the United Nations, Mawasi was sheltering up to 425,000 displaced Palestinians earlier this year, the vast majority in makeshift temporary tents, after Israel's military campaign displaced most of Gaza's population of more than 2 million people.

The Israeli defense body in charge of humanitarian aid in Gaza has said it is allowing in winter materials, including blankets and heavy tarpaulins, but aid organizations warn the efforts are far from sufficient when winter temperatures plummet and the wind whips off the Mediterranean.

The first stage of the Gaza ceasefire agreement is nearing its end. The next and even more challenging stage calls for the implementation of a governing body for Gaza and the deployment of an international stabilization force.

The UN Security Council on Monday is expected to vote on a United States proposal for a UN mandate for a stabilization force in Gaza.

According to media reports, the US proposal calls for an international stabilization force with broad independence from the UN, and grants Israel continued control over the security perimeter surrounding Gaza for an unspecified period.

Meanwhile, Russia introduced its own draft UN resolution on Thursday, challenging the US push. The Russian proposal focuses on creating an international stabilization force under direct UN authority, opposes any demographic or territorial changes in Gaza, and urges implementation of the two-state solution.

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a telephone conversation to discuss the situation in the Middle East.

The Kremlin said the two sides discussed progress on implementing a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, the current status of Iran's nuclear program, and further efforts to promote stability in Syria.

Agencies - Xinhua