Winter rain floods Gaza homes damaged in last spring’s war

By FARES AKRAM
Associated Press

BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip (AP) — The first rainstorm of winter has sent water pouring into homes across the Gaza Strip that were damaged during the 11-day war in May between Israel and the Palestinian territory’s militant Hamas rulers. Authorities say 56,000 homes were damaged in the conflict and over 2,100 others were destroyed or left uninhabitable. Reconstruction efforts have yet to get off the ground, though Israel has eased its blockade of the territory as part of an informal cease-fire. Palestinians whose homes suffered only minor or moderate damage have continued living in them, often because they can’t afford alternative lodging. As a cold and rainy winter sets in, the cracks are widening.