Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered the Foreign Ministry to urgently step up Gaza aid, where heavy rain has flooded tens of thousands of tents housing displaced Palestinians.
The prime minister said on Monday he had asked the ministry to use every possible means to escalate Gaza aid at once. Photos from Gaza had been “heart rending”, he said, with tents under water and children left with nowhere to go, facing starvation and extreme cold.
“I have directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to pursue all possible means to escalate humanitarian assistance urgently,” he posted on X.
The Gaza government media office said on Sunday that at least 70,000 tents had been flooded in the past 12 hours, affecting tens of thousands of displaced people and causing injuries, though no deaths had been reported, Dawn reported. The rain and flooding also washed away shelters, the authorities said.
Gaza’s civil defence service said it had taken 1,500 distress calls from displaced residents. Municipal and civil defence officials said they could not cope with the storm because of fuel shortages and damaged equipment. They said Israel had destroyed hundreds of vehicles, including bulldozers and others used to pump water, during its assault on the territory.
Pakistan’s response: stepping up Gaza aid
The prime minister said he was “deeply concerned about continued Israeli illegal actions to deny basic humanitarian assistance to the brave Palestinian people of Gaza”.
“I strongly condemn these violations of the ceasefire and international law, and this continued aggression toward the Palestinian people,” he added.
The directive is the latest step in Pakistan’s response to the crisis in Gaza. At least 70,000 tents were flooded in heavy rain over the weekend, and the prime minister’s order now turns that emergency into a formal instruction to the Foreign Ministry to find new ways to get aid through.
Pakistan has consistently backed the Palestinian cause in international forums. Israel has deported pro-Palestine activists from the West Bank, and a US strike on Iran’s Qeshm Island has added to regional tensions. The prime minister briefed Nawaz Sharif on K-P security and the economy in Lahore in recent days, and the Gaza directive shows foreign policy sitting alongside those domestic concerns.
Life inside the flooded camps
On Sunday, at a tent encampment in Gaza City, some people tried to repair their tents, others piled sand to keep the water out, and some were busy getting their children out of flooded tents.
Olfat Magdoub, a Gaza resident, tried without success to sweep water away from her tent.
“This is the first day of rain, and of course we are already flooded. What will happen if it rains again the next day? This is only the first day and we’re already overwhelmed,” she said.
“Two weeks ago when it rained, I swear to God, I spent four days sleeping on blankets spread on the floor because the rainwater had flooded the bedding. Same now, the mattresses are wet so we sleep on the ground.”
Rafiq Ghattas, another resident, stood barefoot in a large pool of rainwater and said: “We have no resources, no tarpaulins, no tents and no one is checking on us.”
A ceasefire under strain
Gaza has faced Israeli assault for three years, above all since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Palestinian authorities say more than 74,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its assault there.
Last year’s US-brokered Gaza ceasefire calls for the territory to eventually be rebuilt, but little progress has been made and Israel keeps violating the ceasefire.
Israeli forces still hold more than 60 per cent of the territory and carry out airstrikes almost daily, while Hamas controls most of the area where more than two million Palestinians live, mostly in temporary shelters with what aid agencies call inadequate aid supplies.
A majority of Gazans rely on aid supplies, after three years of Israeli assault, repeated displacement and severe restrictions Israel has imposed on aid deliveries. Heavy rain and flooding have now made their condition worse.
What happens next
The Foreign Ministry must now find routes and partners to move more aid into Gaza despite the restrictions on deliveries. The scale of the flooding, with 70,000 tents hit in 12 hours, means shelter, clean water and winter supplies are the most urgent needs as more rain is possible in the days ahead.
Frequently asked questions
What did the prime minister direct on Gaza aid?
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to pursue all possible means to urgently escalate humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
How many tents were flooded in Gaza?
The Gaza government media office said at least 70,000 tents were flooded in the past 12 hours, affecting tens of thousands of displaced people.
How many distress calls did Gaza’s civil defence receive?
Gaza’s civil defence service said it had received 1,500 distress calls from displaced residents.
Why could officials not cope with the flooding?
Municipal and civil defence officials pointed to fuel shortages and damage to equipment, and said Israel had destroyed hundreds of vehicles, including bulldozers used to pump water.
How many people have been killed in Gaza?
Palestinian authorities say more than 74,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its assault on the territory after the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.
