RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Schools were set to close across much of the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip on Tuesday as weather conditions continued to deteriorate across the occupied Palestinian territory.

In the West Bank, district offices of the Palestinian Ministry of Education, including those in Ramallah, Bethlehem and Qalqiliya, announced that schools would be closed due to an expected snowstorm.

Following a day of heavy rain on Monday, temperatures were expected to dip below freezing point overnight.

Schools were also closed across the West Bank on Monday due to deteriorating weather conditions, although there was no snowfall.

Palestinian infrastructure is under-prepared for heavy snow or rainfall, and most Palestinians schools do not have heating.

Meanwhile, in the Gaza Strip, the Gazan Ministry of Education decided along with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) to close schools on Tuesday due to heavy rainfall.

A number of buildings were damaged by flooding in Khan Younis and Rafah in the southern Gaza on Monday.

Director of Civil Defense operations in Gaza Raed al-Dahshan told Ma’an that Civil Defense teams were working around the clock within their limited capabilities to reduce the damages.

Gaza has been hit by severe flooding in the past, exacerbating the dire situation faced by thousands of Palestinians in the blockaded and war-torn coastal enclave.MA’AN NEWS AGENCY