Rainfall floods Gaza streets as locals complain over poor infrastructure

For the third day in a row, the rainfall has flooded the streets of the besieged Gaza Strip, damaging some houses in areas with poor infrastructures. 

The impoverished coastal enclave witnessed heavy rain and thunder, causing traffic in many streets, particularly in areas damaged by the Israeli bombardment of May last year.

On Saturday, locals posted on social media videos documenting the floods, which have affected many, including children returning from schools.

That scenes sparked anger among Gazans, who accused the local municipalities of negligence.

Entisar al-Hassan, a Gaza-based mother of four school-aged children, told The New Arab: "I was shocked when saw my children soaked in water when they returned from school.

"I hold the school principal responsible for letting our children leave school while it was raining heavily," al-Hassan said, adding: "The Gaza municipality also bears the responsibility for not fixing the roads prior to the arrival of winter."

Mohammed al-Nakhala, another resident from Gaza, told The New Arab that he used to see such scenes in the Gaza streets since he was a child, over 20 years ago. 

"For many years, Gaza has been receiving millions of dollars from donors, so why are Palestinian officials insisting on leaving us to suffer?" al-Nakhala said. 

Husny Mohanna, a spokesman of Gaza municipality, told The New Arab that "the Israeli attacks directly damaged the infrastructure of Gaza's streets, causing floods after heavy rainfall." 

He added: "We are doing our best to avoid further damage in the Gaza Strip until the reconstruction process begins in the coming months."