Text and photos transmitted by Ayman Quader in Gaza
The Israeli authorities opened the dam’s floodgates without any prior warning or coordination with local authorities in Gaza, stunning the residents of the area, the Press TV correspondent in Gaza reported late on Monday.
There has been heavy rain in the region over the past 24 hours. It seems the Israeli authorities could not handle the huge amount of rainwater and decided to open the floodgates without prior warning.
Because Gaza is located in a low-lying area and the elevation decreases on the way to the Mediterranean Sea, water gushed into the area, flooding two Palestinian villages and displacing a hundred Gazan families.
The locals say Israel intentionally caused the floods, the Press TV correspondent said.
The waters from the dam, called the Valley of Gaza, flooded houses in Johr al-Deek village, which is southeast of Gaza City, and Nusirat in the eastern part of the territory, where the Al-Nusirat refugee camp is also located.
The Valley of Gaza is about 8 kilometers long. It starts on the eastern Gaza border with Israel and ends in the Mediterranean.
The houses of many Palestinians have been flooded and a number of people are trapped inside or on their roofs, while many have also gone missing, the Press TV correspondent said.
Rescue teams are using small boats to evacuate the trapped people.
Hamas has condemned the act as a war crime and has called on all concerned parties to intervene and offer assistance to the locals.
The flooding has made life more difficult for the Gazans, especially for those still living in tents because their homes were destroyed in the December 2008-January 2009 Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
In the war, more than 1,400 people were killed, mostly women and children, and over 10,000 houses were destroyed or damaged, forcing at least 500 families to live in tents.
Very little progress is seen in reconstruction of the devastated areas in the Gaza Strip, mostly due to the Israeli blockade, which has prevented the delivery of building materials to the coastal enclave.
Israel opens Dam so Gaza submerges
Gaza – Many Palestinian houses were under water in Central Gaza after Israel opened a closed dam on Tuesday.
Israeli authorities opened the “Al-Wadi” dam without prior notice after heavy rainfall on the area.
Seventy citizens were rescued by Civil defense staffs. Medical sources said that 9 citizens were injured and transferred to Gaza hospitals.
They said that rescue teams rushed to the area and evacuated all the residents who live in distance of 500-600m in Al-Moghraqa, central Gaza Strip.
The minister of Social Affairs Ministry in Gaza, Ahmed Al-Kord, said that they opened Kafer Yasef School for 100 evacuated families. He added that the ministry provided them with the need supplies of food and sheets.
Desertpeace 
Dianne Foster said,
January 19, 2010 at 17:36
Today, the CEO of TEVA pharma proclaimed that they would be donating millions of dollars worth of drugs to Haiti. It is true that “in kind” donations are less desirable than monetary aid. But donations are a boon for public relations. Looking at the squalor of Gaza, it appears that charity would be well spent a little closer to home. It would even be smart move, because you can bet that radical Islam is just waiting to take its opportunity and being the supplier of a better source of goods and services would make Israel more popular. Unfortunately, this absence of due process and an explanation for why the flooding was necessary and how to avoid its destructive impact, seems to take away the good image Israel is trying to create with its humanitarian assistance in Haiti.
G Street said,
January 19, 2010 at 18:17
Last night’s evening news was an Israeli promotional. It talked down the US response in Haiti while praising Israel’s fast and capable one. Then it knocked China for clogging up the airport runway while filming propaganda, and Russia for claiming a plane was low on fuel so that it could be landed ahead of others.
Always, our media working on Israel’s image. If stories such as these were widely seen, the Israeli propaganda would not be so effective, but American television might have more credibility. It has none.
The Progressive Mind » ISRAEL OPENS DAM GATES IN GAZA CAUSING HAVOC « Desertpeace said,
January 19, 2010 at 18:17
[…] ISRAEL OPENS DAM GATES IN GAZA CAUSING HAVOC « Desertpeace. January 19th, 2010 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment | […]
uberVU - social comments said,
January 19, 2010 at 18:37
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freemindmovement said,
January 19, 2010 at 20:45
It’s shocking to learn this poor state sponsored terrorism against the Palastinians. Maybe the illegal state of israel need to re-read history books and learn from when they suffered.
Although all the tools are in the hand of the Israelis such as Media, International presences, blank cheques from US the only thing they don’t have and will never have is currage to survive, all the currage is with the Palestinians.
fourthreichisrael said,
January 19, 2010 at 21:25
Holocaust Gaza said,
January 20, 2010 at 00:03
When the Zio-Nazi terror becomes unbearable may be than we will stand up and wipe it out.
zionazis! said,
January 20, 2010 at 04:21
Someone should open the flood gates of HELL on Israhell…Oh, that’s right that was already done which explains the Satans chosen ones murdering innocents. Could there be a worse””””Religion”””of zionazis?
fourthreichisrael said,
January 23, 2010 at 19:37