DaysofPal- Another round of heavy rainfall has flooded the makeshift tents of displaced families across Gaza, worsening an already catastrophic humanitarian situation as thousands remain without proper shelter.
In central Gaza City, young Sami Tottah tries to push away rainwater and thick mud from his family’s tent using a broom and a stick, hoping to keep the water, if only partially, from reaching his parents and siblings inside.
“It’s not only that we have no shelter,” he says bitterly. “We don’t even have a plastic sheet.” He added.
The tent Sami shares with his parents and brothers could not withstand the hours of rain that swept through Gaza, repeating scenes seen after previous storms. Like hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians, the family is trapped in an endless cycle of loss and survival.
Pointing to the remnants of their shelter, Tottah stated : “The wind blew away the tarps. Then the rain came, the tent collapsed, and everything was flooded.” He said all repair attempts failed. “It was torn, and water kept pouring in. My parents had no choice but to leave, without knowing where to go.”
The family had pitched their tent on the rubble of their destroyed home, in an overcrowded area, after Israeli forces took control of more than half of the Gaza Strip by military force.
Tottah said the suffering is made worse by Israel’s continued ban on the entry of even basic shelter materials, while Gaza’s infrastructure has been systematically destroyed during the war that began on October 7, 2023.
Nearby, Hossam Abu Samra faces the same ordeal with his wife and three children. Displaced from Gaza City’s Shuja’iyya neighborhood, his home was destroyed inside the so-called “yellow line,” areas that civilians are forbidden from entering by Israeli forces.
“This tent is flooded with rainwater and is no longer fit for living, and we don’t even have tarps,” Abu Samra says, describing his desperation as he struggles to shield his family from the water.
He calls the humanitarian conditions “extremely harsh,” noting that tents and tarps in Gaza have proven useless, with most of what displaced families have worn down and torn beyond repair.
Officials say the reality facing displaced Palestinians reflects a systematic Israeli policy of blocking the entry of tents, mobile homes, and shelter supplies, despite the ceasefire agreement that went into effect on October 10, 2025.
According to official data, around 7,000 tents were destroyed by strong winds and severe weather that struck Gaza in January.
A statement from the Government Media Office on January 13 reported that the number of children who have died from extreme cold since the start of winter has reached seven. Since the war began, 24 people, 21 of them children, have died due to exposure.
Exhausted by repeated winter storms and scorching summer heat, Abu Samra appealed to the international community, saying simply: “Save us from this situation.”
He expressed hope that the newly formed National Committee for Gaza Administration could find urgent solutions to the shelter crisis, facilitate the return of displaced families to their neighborhoods, and provide caravans until reconstruction can begin.
His appeal mirrors that of Tottah, who continues to clear mud from around his family’s tent: “We want a place where we can live together as a family. Enough displacement.”
Although the ceasefire agreement guarantees the immediate and safe entry of humanitarian aid, including mobile homes, caravans, and shelter materials, displaced families remain exposed to repeated disasters, as the Israeli occupation continues to evade its obligations and the international community fails to enforce accountability.
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