Heavy rainfall and strong winds across the Gaza Strip have worsened the humanitarian crisis, leaving hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians exposed to flooding as makeshift shelters across the territory struggle to withstand the winter weather.
An estimated 350,000 displaced Palestinians have been left exposed to the elements following the first major winter storm, according to reports citing Gaza’s health authorities. Many families are living in temporary tents and damaged structures that offer little protection against heavy rain, strong winds and falling temperatures.
The storm began on Friday evening, November 6, and intensified over the weekend, affecting displacement camps and residential areas across all five governorates of the Gaza Strip.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 26,000 households had appealed for assistance by November 8 after their shelters or belongings were damaged. More than 6,000 family shelters were reportedly destroyed, while another 17,400 sustained damage.
Around 600 households were forced to leave their shelters again because of the flooding, with water levels reaching as high as 1.5 metres in some locations.
The heavy rainfall also overwhelmed Gaza’s already weakened drainage and sewage systems, causing rainwater to mix with wastewater and flow into displacement camps. Municipal authorities have struggled to remove accumulated water due to shortages of fuel, functioning pumps and heavy machinery.
Civil Defence teams received 2,166 emergency calls during the flooding but were able to respond to only 218, highlighting the limited capacity of emergency services following years of destruction and shortages of essential equipment.
The storm also affected healthcare facilities, humanitarian operations and educational spaces. According to OCHA, at least 55 learning spaces serving approximately 55,000 children were affected, while several health facilities reported flooding and damage.
At least one infant reportedly drowned, while five Palestinians, including three children and two women, were killed after a sandy embankment collapsed onto tents sheltering displaced families in central Gaza.
The flooding comes as Gaza continues to face severe shortages of adequate shelter ahead of winter. Approximately 1.4 million Palestinians are living in tents or makeshift structures, many of which are already worn out after months of use.
The Gaza Government Media Office reported that at least 70,000 tents were flooded within 12 hours of the storm’s onset. Meanwhile, more than 150,000 tents remain outside the territory awaiting delivery, with humanitarian organisations warning that Israeli restrictions on the entry of shelter materials are hampering relief efforts.
The United Nations has called for urgent approval to bring in additional tents, tarpaulins, blankets, mobile water pumps, vacuum trucks, fuel and heavy machinery to help affected families and restore essential services.
Humanitarian organisations have warned that without adequate shelter and the equipment needed to respond to further flooding, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians will remain at serious risk as the winter season progresses.
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