Palestine accuses Israel of opening

dams, flooding Gaza, forcing evacuations

Pal
estinians ride horse carts as they evacuate their animals in the village of Al-Moghraga
after it was flooded by rain water, near central Gaza Strip February 22, 2015.
(Reuters / Ibraheem Abu Mustafa )

February 24, 2015 16:33

Palestinian officials say hundreds of Gazans were forced to evacuate after
Israel opened the gates of several dams on the border with the Gaza Strip,
and flooded at least 80 households. Israel has denied the claim as entirely
false.

In the wake of a recent severe winter storm in the region, Israeli authorities
opened the floodgates to discharge the accumulated water, Palestinian
officials say. Residents of eastern Gaza reported injuries as well as deaths of
livestock and poultry, caused by the Israeli action which allegedly came
without prior notification, Gaza's Civil Defense Directorate (CDD) said
Sunday.
Photos of the Gaza Strip flood have appeared in social networks, but the
date when they were taken can't be independently verified as yet.

Dr.Bassel AbuWarda @DrBaselAbuwarda

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Breaking #Gaza : After Israel opened the dam, Moghraqa is now drowning
water levels is up to three meters and a half
3:46 AM - 22 Feb 2015
The [Israeli] army opened the floodgates of a canal leading to central
Gaza, which resulted in the removal of sand mounds along the border with
Israel, the CDD announced, according to Palestinian News Agency WAFA.
Opening the levees to the canal has led to the flooding of several
Palestinian homes, and we had to quickly evacuate the afflicted citizens.

No casualties were reported as a result, but more than 80 families had to

flee after their homes filled with water levels sometimes reaching more
than three meters, the Gaza Ministry of Interior said in a statement.
In a letter to RT regarding the issue, Israels Coordinator of Government
Activities in the Territories (COGAT) maintained thatthe claim is entirely
false."
"Southern Israel does not have any dams. Due to the recent rain, streams
were flooded throughout the region with no connection to actions taken by
the State of Israel, COGAT said.
The flood reportedly forced the closure of the main road connecting alMughraqa district and Nusseirat refugee camp south of Gaza city, leaving
hundreds of Palestinians trapped in the floods, a difficult prospect for
approximately 110,000 Palestinians left homeless by Israels assault last
summer.
Evacuated families were taken to UNRWA-sponsored (UN Relief and Works
Agency) shelters in the al-Bureij refugee camp and the al-Zahra
neighborhood.

Yousef M. Aljamal @YousefAljamal

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#Israel open water dams at #Gaza borders causing huge floods and making
dozens of families homeless #GazaFloods
5:12 AM - 22 Feb 2015

"Israel opened water dams, without warning, last night, causing serious
damage to Gazan villages near the border. More than 40 homes were
flooded and 80 families are currently in shelters as a result, chief of the
civil defense agency in Gaza, Brigadier Gerneral Said Al-Saudi, told Al
Jazeera.
Local agriculture was also affected, Al-Saudi said. We are appealing to
human rights organizations and international rights organizations to
intervene to prevent further such action.
Further harm could be caused if Israel opens up more dams, warned Gaza
Civil Defense Services (CDD) spokesman Muhammad al-Midana, as cited by
the Ma'an news agency. A fast-moving water stream is currently flowing
from the Israel border through the Gaza valley and into the Mediterranean
Sea, he said.

Yousef M. Aljamal @YousefAljamal

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Gaza boys rescue cat from flooded area after #Israel opened water dams without
prior warning #Palestine
5:48 AM - 22 Feb 2015

@ YasmineAlFarra
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ONLY #Zionist Israel would open dam gates and flood #Gaza like this
http://bit.ly/1AjgKp4
12:48 PM - 22 Feb 2015

The Gaza Valley (Wadi Gaza) used to be a unique wetland ecosystem located in the central
Gaza Strip between al-Nuseirat refugee camp and al-Moghraqa. It flowed from two streams,
one running from near

Beersheba, and the other from vicinity of Hebron. Theres

not much water left in Wadi Gaza, as water being mostly used upstream in
Israel and the stream running through the Gaza Strip consists mainly of
untreated waste from Gaza City, which pumps up millions of liters of
sewage into the riverbed.

Wadi Gaza overflowing with untreated sewage (image from www.ewash.org)

According to media reports, this is not the first time Israeli authorities have
opened the floodgates to their Gaza Valley dams to discharge massive
quantities of excessive water that accumulated during heavy rains or
snowfall.

Posted by Thavam