DaysofPal – A powerful winter storm swept across the entire Gaza Strip on Tuesday, flooding displacement camps from Rafah to Gaza City and submerging hundreds of tents sheltering Palestinians whose homes were destroyed during Israel’s ongoing assault. The severe weather exposed the extreme vulnerability of more than a million displaced people living in makeshift shelters unable to withstand rain, wind, or cold.
Rescue teams said they were responding to widespread flooding in numerous areas across the Strip, as torrents of rainwater poured into camps built on unstable ground. Displaced families reported that hundreds of tents across Gaza had filled with water, creating deep muddy pools and rendering many shelters uninhabitable.
In several zones, including al-Mawasi in Khan Younis, witnesses said rainwater swept away some tents and strong winds tore others apart, leaving families exposed in open air.
Emergency responders described the situation as “chaotic,” warning that many areas were inaccessible due to mud and collapsed pathways.
The Civil Defense in Gaza cautioned that its operations were at risk of halting entirely because of a critical fuel shortage. Without fuel, it cannot operate pumps needed to remove floodwater or deploy vehicles to rescue stranded families.
Across the Strip, displacement areas have turned into waterlogged swamps, making movement nearly impossible. Water seeped into numerous tents, soaking bedding and supplies, endangering families already living with almost nothing.
The cold temperatures intensified the suffering of children, the elderly, and the sick amid a severe shortage of blankets, winter clothing, and any form of heating.
Flooding also reached medical facilities. In Khan Younis, water penetrated parts of the Kuwaiti Field Hospital, with videos showing mud contaminating one of its departments as staff struggled to contain the damage.
Saeb Laqqan, spokesperson for the Khan Younis municipality, said the crisis in the southern city reflects a much larger catastrophe spanning the entire Gaza Strip. He stressed that municipal crews everywhere are unable to cope because Israeli forces have destroyed the majority of Gaza’s infrastructure, including over 90% of road and water networks in some areas.
He noted that nearly 900,000 displaced and resident Palestinians in Khan Younis alone are facing the storm surrounded by flooded camps but emphasized that similar scenes are unfolding “throughout all parts of the Strip.”
According to Laqqan, the Israeli military razed 220,000 linear meters of roads during the two-year assault, leaving emergency teams across Gaza with only primitive tools and deteriorated equipment to confront the storm.
Israel’s destruction of 92% of Gaza’s residential buildings has forced Palestinians into tents that offer no protection from the elements or into damaged homes that risk collapse in heavy rains. Many displaced families remain exposed to the full force of winter weather.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric warned that “thousands of displaced families are now fully exposed to harsh weather conditions,” raising urgent concerns over health and safety.
The Government Media Office in Gaza said Monday that the Strip is experiencing “an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe” after tens of thousands of tents housing hundreds of thousands of displaced people flooded during the first winter storm, holding Israel “fully responsible” for preventing the entry of essential shelter materials.
According to the office, more than 288,000 families are enduring the storm without proper shelter, heating materials, insulation, or blankets. Gaza, it said, requires 300,000 tents and mobile housing units, but Israel continues to block their entry and keep crossings closed.
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