Gazans flee floods, as Palestinians and Israelis squabble over cause
Hundreds of Palestinians were forced to flee their homes in the Gaza valley this weekend when flooding caused water levels to rise to more than two metres high in some areas.
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A Gaza valley resident whose home was caught in this weekend's flooding. All photos and videos courtesy of Majdi Fathi.
Hundreds of Palestinians were forced to flee their homes in the Gaza valley this weekend when flooding caused water levels to rise to more than two metres high in some areas.
The Palestinian Authority accused Israel of causing the flooding by opening the levees on dams near the Gaza border without warning. According to Brigadier General Said al Saudi, chief of Gaza’s civil defense agency, more than 40 homes were flooded as a result.
However, Israeli authorities have denied any responsibility and denounced the claims as unfounded rumours. It is a repeat of the same scenario – flooding in Gaza valley, accusations by Palestinian authorities, denials from Israel – that has unfolded several times in the past few years, each time during a rainy stretch of winter.
Whatever the cause, the flooding is very real, and it's a recurrent problem in Gaza, where poor infrastructure and fuel shortages make it difficult to pump out the water. Majdi Fathi, a Gaza-based photographer, filmed this weekend’s floods.
He told FRANCE 24:
On Sunday evening, the village of Al-Mughraqa was suddenly flooded. Residents were taken by surprise. The majority of the population is Bedouin; many of them live in tents. Emergency workers had to quickly evacuate them, and put them up in schools and mosques. The local authorities pumped the water out toward the sea, which is now quite dirty – I saw a mix of rainwater, sewage from the Gaza valley and a lot of sand, which we believe comes from the Israeli dams.
The displaced residents were able to return home on Monday, but they found their homes and tents quite damaged by the floodwaters. Some of them say that something should be done so that the next time the valley floods, the water is somehow saved, instead of redirected to the sea – they could certainly find many ways to use it.
Photos taken on Monday by Majdi Fathi.
