UN agency declares state of emergency after heavy rains, flooding in Gaza - thousands homeless

© AFP/Mahmud Hams

Palestinian men in the back of a pickup truck make their way through a flooded street during heavy rains in Gaza City on November 27, 2014.

A United Nations agency has declared a state of emergency in the besieged Gaza Strip after two days of heavy rains and flooding in the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said in a Thursday statement that hundreds of residents in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City had been evacuated due to the rise of a "storm water lagoon" in the area.

It further said that the flooding has caused the closure of 63 schools across Gaza City and 43 schools across the northern Gaza Strip.

"The flooding is exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza caused by blockade and the unprecedented destruction from the latest Israeli offensive," the UN agency said.

The agency further noted that it was "providing emergency fuel to supply back-up generators for pumping stations, portable pumps, municipalities, water, sanitation and health facilities."

Israel launched its latest onslaught on the blockaded area on July 8. The war killed over 2,140 Palestinians and left more than 11,000 others injured. The war ended on August 26 with an Egyptian-brokered truce.

The Israeli military aggression against the Palestinian territory also caused widespread devastation across Gaza. Over 15,600 housing units were damaged in the onslaught. More than 2,200 houses were totally destroyed, according to official figures released by Palestinian sources.

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