“entirely foreseeable.” That is how aid groups described the disaster after heavy winter storms struck Gaza, flooding makeshift displacement camps and destroying tents across the territory.
Heavy rains hit the Gaza Strip from the evening of November 6 through the weekend of November 7 to 8, 2026, triggering widespread flooding and the collapse of damaged buildings. UNICEF reported that the downpour directly affected 106,000 people, while the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that about 1.4 million people—representing 65 percent of Gaza’s population—were living in tents or makeshift shelters when the severe weather struck.
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
OCHA also said that roughly 940,000 displaced people in Gaza are living in areas exposed to flooding, with sewage spewing into tents as sanitation infrastructure was damaged. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said the storm and subsequent weather systems damaged more than 42,000 tents and makeshift shelters, affecting at least 235,000 people.
The storms also brought deadly structural collapses. In Deir al-Balah, a sand embankment abutting a camp for displaced families gave way late on November 8, killing a woman and three children. Suhaib Abu Darabi, a neighbour, said the collapse sounded like an explosion and was followed by screaming as neighbours rushed to help save them.
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
Civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal said that people put up their tents next to sandbanks believing they could protect them, warning that tents cannot protect people from such hazards. UN agencies and rescue teams recorded that an infant reportedly drowned and several people were killed when the sand dune collapsed on their tents, while other displaced families faced collapsed buildings after returning to ruined homes in desperation.
Ahmad Nabhan placed a wreath of fresh basil leaves beneath the head of his 5-year-old daughter Maryam wrapped in a white burial shroud at the Al-Aqsa Hospital morgue. Fifty-eight-year-old grandmother Um Al Abed Al-Sahar said that the downpour hit without warning, with the sand cliff above them collapsing within minutes to bury her and her daughter to their waists while swallowing neighboring tents whole.
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
Gaza’s Government Media Office issued a press statement warning that within 12 hours of the storm, 70,000 tents had flooded and initial losses were estimated at $3 million. The Gaza Health Ministry later said that 350,000 displaced Palestinians were left sleeping in the open.
The Site Management Cluster reported that more than 26,000 households submitted weather-related alerts, with over 6,000 family shelters destroyed and 17,400 others damaged, while civil defense teams fielded more than 1,500 emergency calls. The Gaza Municipality received 251 incident notifications and 84 distress calls on November 6 and 7 covering rainwater pooling and rising water levels.
Humanitarian organizations and UN officials placed direct blame on Israeli restrictions for worsening the crisis. Palestinian Health Minister Dr. Majed Abu Ramadan stated in a release that what is happening in Gaza is not a passing winter crisis.
Ahmad Alhendawi, Save the Children’s Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, said that basic shelter items and fuel remained blocked at the border while children slept in floodwater.
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
“This is a choice, and children are paying the price,” Alhendawi said, as reported by CBC, adding that the ceasefire had failed to protect Palestinian children. Pro-Palestinian British doctor Rahmeh Aladwan said that the occupation destroyed 82% of Gaza and has blocked caravans and building material for three years, while Greta Thunberg posted on social media that around 70,000 tents were flooded.
Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, condemned the conditions as “the shame of our time,” invoking Primo Levi and marking the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Khan Younis massacre, in which UNRWA records state 275 Palestinians were killed when Israeli forces occupied the town on November 3, 1956.
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
The Prime Minister’s Office said that Israel had coordinated winter preparations with the UN, the Board of Peace, and international organizations, facilitating the delivery of more than 91,000 tents and 8,200 truckloads of winter supplies, along with 12 sewage removal trucks, infrastructure repairs, and fuel for pumping facilities.
Justin Pozmanter, News Director at HonestReporting, told The Jerusalem Post that the narrative and scale of suffering was written by Hamas before it started raining, questioning how Hamas definitively knew that 70,000 tents had been flooded within hours of the downpour starting.
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
Earlier coverage: Our Neighbours Are Gone': Gaza Survivors Recount Horrors of Deadly Floods
More on Gaza Strip
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.