The non-stop heavy rainfalls in the Hamas-rule Gaza Strip kept the vast majority of the population indoors on Saturday and left more than 500 families homeless, Hamas administration officials in Gaza said.

The Ministry of Health said that more than 100 people were taken to hospitals within the last three days, suffering severe cold or suffocation from smoke, adding that six of them are in serious conditions.

Beside the chilling storm that hit the territory, the Palestinian coastal enclave has been basically suffering from a severe shortage of energy; fuel and electricity since the closure of Gaza power station on November 1.

The ministry denied in an official statement the earlier reports which said that a 3-year-old girl from southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah had died, adding that no one died.

The streets of the Gaza Strip, mainly densely populated areas, like refugee camps and old neighborhoods and towns, were filled with rainwater, and around 3,000 people took refuge in various schools.

"The situation is disastrous in Gaza. If the rain goes on for more days, I believe that the Gaza Strip will go through a severe humanitarian situation," said Ashraf al-Qedra, Gaza emergency spokesman.

Hamas government appealed to the international community to help around 1.8 million people in the Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli blockade since Hamas violent takeover of the enclave in 2007.

Civil defense rescue teams were seen using little fishing boats to reach children and women who were stuck into their homes that were filled with rainwater.

"I wish I can build a high-rise with too many floors in order to take many families to the upper and top floors and rescue them from water that filled their bedrooms," said Iman, a 13-year-old girl from Gaza.

Ihab al-Ghussein, spokesman of Hamas government said in a press statement emailed to reporters that the Prime Minister Ismail Haneya, the government and the civil defense rescue teams are in the streets helping the people.

The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in Ramallah in the West Bank announced that it coordinated with Israel to allow water pumps into the enclave to get waters out from homes and streets.

It said in a press statement that in an agreement with Qatar, which paid an urgent 10 million U.S. dollars for fuel, the PNA will on Sunday pump industrial fuel for operating the sole Gaza power station.