Gaza city: Heavy rains flooded tents sheltering displaced Palestinians across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday in the first winter storm to hit the territory since the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis amid Israeli restrictions on shelter supplies, officials and witnesses said.
According to Anadolu Agency, a weather system brought rain and falling temperatures to Gaza late Monday and was expected to ease by Tuesday evening, meteorologist Laith Al-Alami said in a post on the US social media company Facebook. Gaza's Civil Defense reported that its crews received multiple distress calls overnight due to the heavy rainfall causing flooded displacement camps.
Rescue teams managed to save several families after floodwaters submerged their tents in the al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Witnesses reported to Anadolu that rainwater also inundated tents west of Gaza City, particularly in the al-Rimal neighborhood and near the port area. Videos circulating on social media depicted flooded tents in al-Rimal, as residents struggled to find solutions to prevent further damage.
Since December, a series of winter storms have caused significant damage, flooding or destroying tens of thousands of tents and causing already damaged buildings, previously hit by Israeli strikes, to collapse. This has resulted in numerous casualties and left many Palestinians vulnerable to extreme cold conditions. About 1.9 million of Gaza's 2.4 million residents remain displaced, living in tents lacking basic necessities after their homes were destroyed during the war. Despite a ceasefire agreement that took effect on October 10, 2025, living conditions have not improved significantly, with Israel continuing to block the entry of aid shipments and shelter materials, including tents and mobile homes.
Israel's military campaign, launched on October 8, 2023, resulted in over 72,000 Palestinian deaths and more than 171,000 injuries, devastating civilian infrastructure in the process.