DaysofPal – More than 288,000 Palestinian families are trapped in a deepening shelter crisis across Gaza, local authorities warn, as heavy winter rains batter the territory while Israeli restrictions on humanitarian supplies block urgent relief.
Tens of thousands of fragile tents were flooded by days of rain, according to a statement released on Monday by Gaza’s Government Media Office, leaving displaced Palestinians living in conditions that “no society can endure.”
It described the situation as “the most dangerous humanitarian disaster” since the war began, accusing Israel of “deliberately deepening the catastrophe” by preventing the entry of essential shelter materials.
“We strongly condemn this ongoing crime committed by the occupation against civilians,” the office said. “We hold the occupation fully responsible for the suffering of hundreds of thousands of displaced people facing the harshness of winter without safe shelter or basic services, and for its catastrophic crime of closing the crossings and blocking shelter supplies.”
Winter Storms Turn Camps Into Lakes
The flooding began Thursday with the season’s first storm. Within hours, the United Nations reported more than 13,000 households had been affected. War-damaged drainage systems quickly collapsed under the pressure. In northern Gaza, the Sheikh Radwan Basin rose 37 centimeters, forcing emergency crews to pump water continuously to prevent further overflow.
Conditions worsened as rain fell for days, saturating the materials of makeshift tents that have served as shelter for nearly two years. Many displacement camps sit on low ground where water rushes in from higher surrounding areas, leaving some sections completely submerged.
Authorities say Gaza urgently needs 300,000 tents and mobile homes, requirements they have repeated for months. But despite a ceasefire that took effect on October 10, Israel has denied entry for these materials.
More than 80 percent of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed, according to UN assessments, generating one of the largest internal displacements in recent memory. Rights experts say Israel’s campaign, which has rendered much of Gaza uninhabitable and amounts to genocide under the UN definition, which includes “deliberately inflicting on [a] group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction.”
Aid Bottleneck Deepens Humanitarian Breakdown
The Government Media Office accused Israel on Monday of “continuing its policy of restriction” by blocking tents, tarps, and basic shelter supplies while keeping crossings closed and ignoring commitments under the humanitarian protocol.
COGAT, the Israeli agency overseeing aid deliveries, denies limiting humanitarian access. Yet UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini described conditions last week as “misery on top of misery,” warning that Gaza’s fragile shelters “quickly flood, soaking people’s belongings.”
UNRWA says it has sufficient aid in Jordan and Egypt to fill 6,000 trucks, including food for Gaza’s entire population for three months. But Israeli restrictions have reduced daily entry to roughly half the required 500–600 trucks. Even pens and notebooks remain barred under current rules.
Humanitarian agencies had already warned in early November that nearly 260,000 Palestinian families, around 1.5 million people, were at severe risk heading into winter.
Natalie Boucly, a senior UNRWA official, said Israeli policies violate international humanitarian law, citing the Fourth Geneva Convention and a recent International Court of Justice ruling requiring Israel to ensure Palestinians receive “essential supplies of daily life.”
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper recently said Israel has “no excuse” for obstructing aid. Professor Mukesh Kapila of the University of Manchester called the restrictions “a deliberate strategy,” not a logistical failure.
“Accessing Gaza is one of the easiest regions where a humanitarian crisis is happening, so this is entirely a political act,” he said. “It is a deliberate Israeli strategy to maintain pressure on Hamas over hostages and disarmament, but it is compounding human suffering in Gaza.”
Gaza authorities urged U.S. President Donald Trump and ceasefire mediators to “take serious and immediate action to force the occupation to comply” with the truce and its humanitarian commitments.
At least 266 Palestinians have died since the truce started, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, and Israeli forces continue to strike nearly every day, even in areas where troops were supposed to leave.
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