Gaza: Standing in a pool of rainwater that has engulfed her tent and destroyed its contents, the Palestinian Kifah Al Najjar desperately tries to salvage what remains, including blankets, mattresses, and food supplies. The fragile shelter, made from plastic sheets, nylon, and wooden poles atop the ruins of her home in Gaza's Al Zaytoun neighborhood, has collapsed under the weight of the storm, leaving Al Najjar and her six children without protection. Al Najjar, whose husband was killed at the start of the war, watches helplessly as her belongings are soaked and scattered.
According to Qatar News Agency, Al Najjar feared this moment long before winter arrived. The tent was inadequate against the summer heat, and now it fails to protect them in the cold. The first major weather system to hit Gaza this season brought heavy rains, strong winds, and dropping temperatures, flooding hundreds of tents and worsening the situation for thousands of displaced families. Entire neighborhoods like Al Zaytoun, Al Daraj, Al Shati Camp, Deir Al Balah, Al Bureij, and Khan Younis's Al Mawasi experienced submerged shelters, leaving families exposed and desperate.
Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal reported that teams are overwhelmed by constant distress calls from camps and shelters but lack the necessary equipment to respond effectively. Their vehicles and tools were destroyed in the war, hindering their ability to reach those in need. Gaza's humanitarian crisis, already severe following the destruction of 92 percent of its residential buildings, is now exacerbated by the harsh weather conditions. Thousands of families are living in tents or unstable homes at risk of collapse.
Director General of Gaza's Government Media Office, Dr. Ismail Al Thawabta, stated that the Strip urgently requires at least 250,000 tents and 100,000 caravans to provide temporary shelter. After two years of war and suffering, he hoped the ceasefire would bring relief, but the occupation's refusal to allow aid, food, medicine, and shelter materials has kept Gaza trapped in a cycle of tragedy.
As heavy rains continue to lash Gaza, the suffering of displaced families and residents living among the ruins of destroyed homes deepens. Municipal spokesperson Hosni Mehanna emphasized that over 93 percent of tents housing displaced people are severely worn out after enduring successive seasons of heat and cold. Rainwater has pooled between camps and flooded streets, with no functioning drainage systems to redirect it.
Mehanna told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that Gaza's rainwater networks were systematically destroyed during two years of Israeli aggression, causing sewage to overflow and mix with stormwater, sweeping through shelters, wreckage, and displacement camps. Despite having plans to mitigate the impact of winter storms, Gaza Municipality lacks the equipment to implement them due to the deliberate dismantling of its infrastructure.
The crisis extends beyond shelter, as makeshift field hospitals and medical tents, set up to replace bombed-out facilities, have collapsed under the storm, halting services. Director of Medical Relief in Gaza, Dr. Bassam Zaqout, confirmed that many health and social service points, which are tents without foundations, are now inoperable due to the weather. The UNRWA issued a statement warning that the storm will have catastrophic consequences for Gaza's displaced population, as families seek refuge wherever possible, including in temporary tents. It called for urgent permission to deliver shelter supplies already in its possession.
Despite the formal end of Israeli aggression, which destroyed a significant portion of Gaza's residential buildings, the blockade on essential shelter materials, such as tents and caravans, persists. This has forced families to live in unsafe, collapsing structures or deteriorated tents, risking their lives with every rainfall.