leaving already vulnerable families without shelter as winter sets in, Palestinian authorities said. The Hamas-run government media office said about 70,000 tents sheltering tens of thousands of displaced people were flooded on the first day of rains. It also reported the collapse of dozens of cracked walls and roofs, causing injuries, some critical, in various areas of the Strip. Since Saturday, hundreds of displaced families have been seen fleeing inundated camps in parts of Gaza City and in central and northern Gaza after rainwater submerged their makeshift shelters. Civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said his teams received more than 1,500 overnight calls from residents seeking urgent help after their tents flooded. He warned the agency is operating without equipment or capabilities. “We have issued an urgent distress call to the international community and humanitarian organisations to intervene immediately to save hundreds of thousands of displaced people from the flooding of their tents,” Bassal said. “We cannot face the consequences of this storm on our own.” Displaced residents described repeated seasonal suffering. Um Muhammad al-Hersh, 45, who lives with her family in a tent in western Gaza, said: “We were not able to save the mattresses, and all the clothes were soaked. Our suffering is repeated every winter.” Maryam Odeh, 34, who lives with her children in Deir al-Balah, said: “We no longer know how to protect our children. My children ask me where we will sleep tonight, and I have no answer.” Khaled al-Najjar, 41, added: “We fear for our children not only from the flooding of the tents, but also from the cold and the widespread diseases.” (Bssnews)