Jerusalem: The heaviest snowfall in decades blocked roads across Israel and the West Bank on Saturday, while torrential rains flooded areas of the Gaza Strip.
The heavy snow, which stopped falling Saturday afternoon, prompted Israeli authorities to interrupt the Jewish sabbath to lay on relief trains.
Nationwide, some 30,000 households were without electricity, nearly 9,000 of them in Jerusalem, the Israel Electric Corp said.
Jerusalem city workers managed to clear most roads of drifting snow but appealed to residents to stay at home as fallen trees posed a persistent traffic hazard.
Few had ventured out, apart from observant Jews walking to synagogues.
The two main highways into the city, which climb to around 795 metres (2,600 feet) above sea level, remained closed in both directions for a third straight day.
Jerusalem-based meteorologist Boaz Nechemia told AFP that between 45 and 60 centimetres (18-24 inches) of snow had accumulated in the Holy City by Saturday.
"We haven't had such a snowfall in some 70 years," he said, noting that a metre of snow fell on Jerusalem in 1920.
With road travel almost impossible, authorities laid on free trains to Tel Aviv and Haifa on the coast, interrupting for the first time ever the shutdown of public transport on the Jewish day of prayer and rest, which runs from sundown on Friday to Saturday night.
The army said it was using armoured vehicles to distribute aid to areas cut off by the bad weather.
Schools in Jerusalem, Safed and other cities would not reopen Sunday, with the Jerusalem municipality explaining that it had to evaluate damages at educational institutions before the did.
Channel 2 television said an initial estimate put the damages at $85 million (62 million euros).
A police spokeswoman told AFP four people had died due to weather-related accidents since Thursday night.
Access to West Bank cities such as Ramallah remained blocked by heavy snowfall, an AFP correspondent said, with the only source of power in many cases being private generators.
Low ground on the coast was spared the snowfall, but torrential rains left areas of the Gaza Strip submerged.
Gaza was "a disaster area with water as far as the eye can see," the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees said.
The territory's Hamas rulers said 5,500 people had been rescued and sheltered after their homes were flooded on Saturday.
Gaza health services said a person died from asphyxiation trying to heat his home, and hundreds suffered weather-related injuries.
In some places, security forces and rescue workers were evacuating residents using small boats.
Hamas' press office also claimed that dozens of homes had been flooded in a village near Deir al-Balah in southern Gaza after "Israel opened the dams near the border on the east of the Strip at Wadi al-Salqa."
As a result of the flooding, 200 people were evacuated, the office added.
Gaza's Coastal Municipalities Water Authority said there are more than 15 areas that are heavily flooded.
A government estimate put initial damages at $64 million.
On Friday, Israel opened the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza to deliver gas for domestic use and to fuel pumps to drain the floodwater.
An official of the Hamas government said Israel would open the crossing again on Sunday to deliver fuel to the Palestinian territory's sole power plant, which is currently not operational.
The heavy snow, which stopped falling Saturday afternoon, prompted Israeli authorities to interrupt the Jewish sabbath to lay on relief trains.
Nationwide, some 30,000 households were without electricity, nearly 9,000 of them in Jerusalem, the Israel Electric Corp said.
Few had ventured out, apart from observant Jews walking to synagogues.
Advertisement
Jerusalem-based meteorologist Boaz Nechemia told AFP that between 45 and 60 centimetres (18-24 inches) of snow had accumulated in the Holy City by Saturday.
Advertisement
With road travel almost impossible, authorities laid on free trains to Tel Aviv and Haifa on the coast, interrupting for the first time ever the shutdown of public transport on the Jewish day of prayer and rest, which runs from sundown on Friday to Saturday night.
Advertisement
Schools in Jerusalem, Safed and other cities would not reopen Sunday, with the Jerusalem municipality explaining that it had to evaluate damages at educational institutions before the did.
Advertisement
A police spokeswoman told AFP four people had died due to weather-related accidents since Thursday night.
Advertisement
Low ground on the coast was spared the snowfall, but torrential rains left areas of the Gaza Strip submerged.
Gaza was "a disaster area with water as far as the eye can see," the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees said.
The territory's Hamas rulers said 5,500 people had been rescued and sheltered after their homes were flooded on Saturday.
Gaza health services said a person died from asphyxiation trying to heat his home, and hundreds suffered weather-related injuries.
In some places, security forces and rescue workers were evacuating residents using small boats.
Hamas' press office also claimed that dozens of homes had been flooded in a village near Deir al-Balah in southern Gaza after "Israel opened the dams near the border on the east of the Strip at Wadi al-Salqa."
As a result of the flooding, 200 people were evacuated, the office added.
Gaza's Coastal Municipalities Water Authority said there are more than 15 areas that are heavily flooded.
A government estimate put initial damages at $64 million.
On Friday, Israel opened the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza to deliver gas for domestic use and to fuel pumps to drain the floodwater.
An official of the Hamas government said Israel would open the crossing again on Sunday to deliver fuel to the Palestinian territory's sole power plant, which is currently not operational.
COMMENTS
Advertisement
"We Don't Need...": Hamas Criticises US' Gaza Truce Deal As Polio Reemerges In Gaza, A Mother Fears For Her Child's Health Hamas, Islamic Jihad Claim Responsibility For Bomb Blast In Tel Aviv Elon Musk's Response After Trump Says He Would Make Him Adviser Indian Airports, Borders On Alert As Global Mpox Cases Rise: 10 Points "Hang Him Or Do...": Mother-In-Law Of Kolkata Rape-Murder Case Accused NEET UG 2024 Registration For Round 1 Counselling Process To End Today Elon Musk's Response After Trump Says He Would Make Him Adviser World Mosquito Day: Date, Theme, History And Significance Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.