Name: Sewage and flooding worsen winter hardships for Palestinians in Gaza
Uploaded: 2025-12-18T00:30:15.289Z
Duration: 1 min 41 s
Description: Gaza’s main water source tainted by sewage; rising floods threaten tents, heightening disease risk for thousands.

Gaza’s main water source tainted by sewage; rising floods threaten tents, heightening disease risk for thousands.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Heavy winter storms in Gaza have caused sewage-contaminated waters in the Sheikh Radwan area to rise significantly, endangering displaced families living nearby. The water level has increased by six meters above normal, and with more rain forecasted, the risk of widespread flooding remains high. 

The destruction of water pumps during recent conflict has left raw sewage accumulating in areas meant for rainwater collection. With many pumps still out of service and a 35% increase in rainfall this season, hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians face increased threats of flooding, disease, and harsh living conditions as winter intensifies.

Sewage and flooding worsen winter hardships for Palestinians in Gaza

After the storm, sewage-contaminated waters in Sheikh Radwan Pond have risen significantly, forcing displaced families living nearby to struggle and to worry about what might come next. The level of water here has risen six meters above normal levels. This is very dangerous. If we get any more rain, it is likely that we will be flooded. Bahami is what used to be a low-lying water collection area in Sheikh Radwan neighborhood. East of Gaza City, originally designed to collect rainwater during winter and pump it into the sea, it now holds raw sewage after the pumps were destroyed during Israel's war on Gaza. We had around 140 millimeters of rain. This is a 35% increase from the average amount of yearly rain. As a result of this storm, the level of water here has risen 400,000 cubic meters. If we get more rain, the entire area will be flooded. With many electrical pumps out of service, the rising water levels due to the storms which have hit the Gaza Strip threaten to flood not just homes and tents, but the entire surrounding area, while stagnant water also increases the risk of infectious diseases, particularly for children. For hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians, winter is not just rain, it's an added layer of hardship to an already fragile reality. Their tents are collapsing, the cold is unbearable, and they have nowhere else to go. Ibrahim Khalili, Al Jazeera, Gaza City, Palestine.

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