Winter Storm Floods 70,000 Tents in Gaza Strip
Heavy rainfall flooded 70,000 tents in the Gaza Strip, leaving tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians without shelter amid severe infrastructure collapse and supply shortages.
A major winter storm on November 7 and 8, 2026, flooded at least 70,000 tents across the Gaza Strip, leaving tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians exposed to the cold. The United Nations reported that current supplies can only provide partial assistance to 18 percent of the 294,250 families requiring shelter for the rainy season, noting that 950,000 displaced people live in flood-prone areas.
Infrastructure failure exacerbated the crisis, as damaged drainage and sewage networks could handle only 20 percent of the rainwater. The storm caused water levels to rise by 30 to 40 centimeters in several sites, soaking bedding and forcing evacuations. In Nuseirat and northern Gaza, structurally unstable buildings partially collapsed, injuring four people. Flooding also temporarily disabled the emergency department at Al-Shifa Medical Complex, while health officials warned of rising respiratory and skin diseases.
Gaza's Civil Defense received approximately 1,500 distress calls but reported that fuel shortages and damaged machinery hindered rescue efforts. Palestinian officials and the Arab Joint List blamed Israel for restricting the entry of prefabricated homes and construction materials required under ceasefire protocols. The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories denied these claims, stating it had coordinated with international organizations to improve sanitary conditions and provide sewage pumping trucks before the rains began.
