Gaza’s first major winter storm of the season flooded roughly 70,000 displacement tents within 12 hours.
The downpours submerged makeshift shelters and overflowing latrines across the territory, affecting an estimated 350,000 people and triggering more than 1,500 emergency calls to civil defense teams, according to Latin Times. The severe weather compounded years of devastation from the war that began in October 2023, leaving hundreds of thousands living in tattered shelters exposed to the elements.
Across the Gaza Strip, weekend storms left tens of thousands of Palestinians in flooded or damaged tents, while aid agencies said that approximately 150,000 new shelters remained outside the territory awaiting Israeli approval to be allowed in.
Israel must immediately open all Gaza crossings and let humanitarian aid in, starting with new tents and modular housing, clean water, nutrient-rich food, medicines. If by 9am tomorrow Israel still refuses, any principled leader would send humanitarian vessels to break the siege. https://t.co/3H9yRqMQhc
Casualties and Immediate Damage
The storms brought deadly collapses to unstable ground, including an incident at the Ard al-Ribat site where a sandbank gave way under pressure from heavy rain, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Among the dead were five-year-old Maryam, six-year-old Salah, and their 36-year-old mother Tahrir, who was five months pregnant. Zahira al-Sahar, 58, and her daughter were also rescued after being buried beneath sand when an embankment collapsed onto their tent.
As heavy rain and flooding hit #Gaza, around 1.4 million people living in tents and makeshift shelters are once again facing a harsh winter. We call for the entry of essential winter supplies. People cannot endure a fourth winter in these conditions. Saeed Abu el-Nour updates: pic.twitter.com/tbooqhWa3A
Due to shortages of gear and staff, civil defense units were only able to answer 218 out of more than 2,100 emergency pleas they received during the recent storms.
Ahmad Nabhan placed a wreath of fresh basil leaves beneath the head of his daughter Maryam at the Al-Aqsa Hospital morgue in central Gaza. She lay wrapped in a white burial shroud beside his wife Tahrir, their son Salah, and their four-year-old niece Habiba, as NPR reported.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is getting worse. Heavy rain. Flooded tents. The reality on the ground is heartbreaking. The UK government will not stand by. We will not rest until we bring an end to the intolerable suffering. pic.twitter.com/BgmzzsmFRj
Gaza’s Government Media Office estimated initial losses from flooded and destroyed tents at $3 million. Dozens of walls of homes had collapsed, resulting in injuries and risks of structural failures.
Civil defense authorities warned that more than 2,000 buildings damaged by Israeli airstrikes remain at risk of collapse, though displaced families sheltering inside them have refused to evacuate.
Today I have tabled a new Parliamentary Motion calling for urgent Government action to get aid into Gaza and for sanctions against Israeli officials and others who block it. The world cannot stand by while this crime continues. pic.twitter.com/qKLbFOIUic
“For these families, most of whom have been displaced repeatedly, a flooded tent means losing their last protection against the elements as winter approaches. It also means the loss of essential belongings, including clothing, bedding, medication, documentation, and personal items,” humanitarian officials stated.
Israeli Restrictions Leave Populations Defenseless Against Winter
Humanitarian agencies and UN bodies warned that Israeli restrictions on heavy machinery, tarps, tents, spare parts, fuel, and shelter supplies have left the population defenseless against the winter weather, according to Common Dreams.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that more than 150,000 tents were awaiting authorization to enter Gaza.
At the time the storms struck, the UN calculated that roughly 65 percent of Gaza’s population—about 1.4 million people—resided in tents or temporary shelters, with nearly a million displaced residents situated in zones vulnerable to flooding.
Governments around the world should respond to the horrific scenes from flood-hit Gaza with a clear and co-ordinated message to Israel: we will impose sanctions on everyone responsible for blocking humanitarian aid from getting in.
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese condemned the conditions on social media, writing that images of minors submerged in freezing floodwater inside flimsy shelters filled her with revulsion and calling the situation the shame of our time, as detailed by Latin Times. “Israel still refuses, any principled leader would send humanitarian vessels to break the siege,” said Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Netanyahu Rejects Responsibility for Delayed Winter Supplies
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected accusations that Israel was responsible for delaying the entry of winter supplies or for the conditions in the displacement camps, as reported by AP News.
For #Palestine Refugee families in Gaza living in worn-out tents, heavy rain brings another threat to their safety. Thousands of families across #Gaza have lost their shelters and belongings during the recent rains. “Palestine Refugee families in Gaza should not have to fear… pic.twitter.com/rW3ZK2RpP0
In the wake of the severe weather, the U.S.-created Board of Peace said that the humanitarian ordeal—which could have been anticipated—was aggravated by Israeli hold-ups on winter shipments into Gaza.
COGAT said that it coordinates with the international community to maintain the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip at a stable level ahead of winter while taking measures to prevent Hamas from seizing control of essential supplies.
Tents continue to enter the Gaza Strip on a daily basis. To date, over 91,000 tents and more than 8,200 trucks carrying winter supplies have entered Gaza. COGAT will continue facilitating humanitarian assistance and winter preparedness efforts while taking the necessary… pic.twitter.com/NYirbVcqul
Research released by HonestReporting questioned the origin and speed of figures circulated by Hamas-run media offices regarding the disaster, noting that estimates of 70,000 flooded tents were published shortly after the rain began, according to The Jerusalem Post.
As aid groups continue to mobilize emergency responses, roughly 1.4 million people remain reliant on makeshift shelters heading further into the winter season.
UNRWA winter emergency teams are active across #Gaza, clearing drains, identifying areas at risk of flooding, checking available equipment, and putting preventive measures in place, including sandbags. But many water pumps are out of service due to shortages of engine oil and… pic.twitter.com/40q11iuH3w
Earlier coverage: Gaza: Israeli Attacks Kill Palestinians as UN Urges Aid Amid Severe Flooding
