Displaced families in Gaza endure difficult night as heavy rain floods tents, shelters

Displaced families in the Gaza Strip spent a sleepless night as heavy rain flooded their fragile tents, soaking mattresses and belongings and turning camp pathways into pools of muddy water. The rain marks the start of another difficult winter for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have been displaced by the war and are living in tents or makeshift shelters with little protection. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in an October report that an estimated 950,000 displaced Palestinians were living in sites at medium to high risk of flooding, including more than 400,000 in areas considered at high risk.

Some 294,250 families need shelter assistance for the rainy season, but available supplies were sufficient to provide partial assistance to only 18% of those in need. (Source: AP)