In the heart of Gaza’s Bureij refugee camp, the sudden downpour that began on the evening of last week turned a modest room into a watery hazard for 65‑year‑old Abu Sajed. With stone walls and a tarpaulin roof offering little protection, he and his family had to move from their bed to a dry corner of the room, clutching buckets and pots to keep the water at bay.
Abu Sajed, who suffers from diabetes, struggled to find his blood glucose monitor in the dark. The device was soaked and no longer functional, leaving him without a critical tool for managing his condition. His family’s solar power system, which had provided lighting and phone charging, was also damaged by the rain, and the inverter in his daughter’s nearby tent was destroyed after flooding.
“Even going to the toilet became difficult because of all the water,” he recalled. The next morning, a slip on the muddy floor left him unable to rise, forcing his wife and daughter to help him up. “I felt helpless and exhausted,” he said.
These personal hardships mirror a broader crisis in Gaza, where the combination of relentless rainfall and an ongoing siege has left many without adequate housing and reliable electricity. The region’s electricity supply, already strained, has suffered further setbacks as water infiltrates power facilities.
In northern Gaza, Mohammed al‑Hour operates a small solar charging station inside a damaged building. He admits that rainwater seeps through cracked walls and ceilings, compromising the system’s ability to charge phones and provide light at night. “People come to me asking to charge their phones, even for a little while, so they can have lighting at night. But when the clouds persist and the sun disappears, it becomes difficult,” he explained.
Abu Zayed Electricity Company, which had prepared for winter conditions, found its efforts thwarted by the sheer volume of water. Despite covering distribution panels and meters with plastic sheeting, insulating exposed wires, and urging municipalities to pump out water, the damage exceeded available resources. The company temporarily suspended services at several branches to avoid electrical hazards.
General Manager Aya Shaheen noted that “municipalities are also d….” (the statement was cut short in the source). Nonetheless, the company’s experience underscores the fragility of Gaza’s infrastructure under compounded stress from weather and conflict.
As the rains continue, the risk to both power and healthcare infrastructure grows. Residents rely on solar systems for basic needs, while medical equipment—such as glucose monitors—becomes unusable when flooded. The situation highlights the urgent need for resilient infrastructure and humanitarian support to safeguard the health and well-being of Gaza’s population.
Source: Al Jazeera
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Editorial note: This is an original news report prepared from the attributed source material with AI assistance. It is not a reproduction or translation of the original article.
