His own tent was badly damaged, he said: "At night there was heavy rain, the whole tent flew away. From last night until this morning I've just been putting it back together." Asked what people do when rain gets into the tents, he replied: "You go outside in the rain and run. There's nowhere to go."
Rainwater reportedly penetrated the makeshift shelters, flooding floors and soaking mattresses, blankets and clothing belonging to families forced to leave their homes because of the war. Gaza's civil defense services reported receiving approximately 1,500 distress calls from residents requesting assistance.
Later in the conversation, the resident was asked whether the harsh conditions make him regret October 7, the day Hamas terrorists launched their massacre in Israel. "We don't regret anything in our lives," he answered. "All of this is from G-d, not from people and not from the world. We rely only on G-d."
The resident continued: "G-d gave us determination, strength and patience so that He will reward us in paradise. We don't want anything from this world. We left it for the people who chase after it."
The conversation comes amid reports of flooding in displacement camps in northern and central Gaza. The Palestinian news agency Safa reported tents flooded in the area of Gaza port, in Jabaliya and Beit Lahiya in the northern Strip, as well as in the Deir al-Balah and Nuseirat areas in the center.
Hamas's government information office claimed that at least 70,000 tents were flooded within 12 hours. This is a figure from Hamas that has not been independently verified. Hamas blamed Israel, while COGAT reported bringing additional pumping trucks into the Strip and coordinating preparations for rain with international organizations.
