Heavy rainfall and flash floods swept across the occupied West Bank on Monday, causing material damage in several areas and prompting emergency responses from local authorities.
The Palestinian Civil Defense said its crews responded to dozens of emergency calls since early morning, including evacuations of homes south of the city of Hebron that were inundated by floodwaters.
The worst flooding was reported in the al-Hadidiya area, where large volumes of rainwater led to rapidly forming torrents.
Civil Defense teams worked to pump water out of multiple homes, as well as a kindergarten and two childcare centers. Authorities also reported road collapses, blocked stormwater drainage systems, fallen trees and telecommunications poles, and vehicles that slid or became submerged in several parts of the West Bank.
Videos and images shared on social media showed powerful floodwaters rushing through different locations. One widely circulated clip appeared to show a vehicle and a young man being swept away near the village of al-Ramadin in the southern West Bank. As of Monday evening, there was no confirmed information about the man’s fate.
According to a bulletin issued by the Palestinian Meteorological Department, the severe weather was caused by a low-pressure system affecting Palestine, accompanied by strong winds, heavy rain and thunderstorms.
The department said rainfall is expected to ease late at night, but warned that showers could return on Thursday with the arrival of another low-pressure system, which may also bring thunderstorms at times.
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