Flooded out of their tents, Gaza families have nowhere left to go

Displaced Palestinian families have been left without shelter after heavy rain and strong winds flooded 70,000 tents in the Gaza Strip, with officials warning that damaged infrastructure and equipment shortages were overwhelming emergency efforts. The storm, which began late Friday, also brought down dozens of walls, according to the Government Media Office. It estimated initial losses at about $3 million. Medical sources told Anadolu that five Palestinians were injured when two walls of buildings damaged by earlier Israeli strikes collapsed, and a sheet of corrugated metal fell during the storm.

Gaza Municipality spokesman Hosni Muhanna told Anadolu that families whose tents had been damaged had nowhere to stay. About 1 million residents and displaced people are crowded into roughly 30% of Gaza City’s area, he said, placing additional strain on infrastructure devastated by Israel’s genocidal war. The city received 60 millimeters of rain in 12 hours, around 15% of its annual rainfall, said Muhanna. Strong winds blew away some tents and tore others, while rainwater flooded shelters.

Municipal crews received 250 calls reporting flooded streets, erosion and blocked drains. They responded to most using the limited resources available, he said. Muhanna warned that 270 camps and shelter sites in Gaza City were at risk of flooding. Damage sustained during the war has reduced the drainage system’s capacity to 20%, leaving low-lying neighborhoods particularly vulnerable. He demanded that crossings be fully opened so winter supplies, relief materials and heavy equipment could reach Gaza.

Abdullah al-Majdalawi, director of public relations for Gaza’s Civil Defense, told Anadolu that crews received hundreds of distress calls since the storm began. Most were for flooded tents and camps, or buildings and walls at risk of collapsing onto displaced families’ shelters. He said rescuers could deal with immediate threats to life but lacked the resources to provide shelter for those affected. “We go to people and find an entire camp flooded, with its tents, people, furniture and bedding,” said al-Majdalawi.

“We stand helpless before this tragic and difficult reality in Gaza.” He said thousands of tents had flooded or been damaged, forcing families to remain in the open. He attributed the lack of safer alternatives to Israel’s blockade and restrictions on mobile homes and reconstruction materials. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said Thursday that 1.98 million people, about 94% of Gaza’s population, needed shelter and other essential supplies, citing surveys conducted in June.

It said 58% faced critical or catastrophic shelter needs. In October, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned that 950,000 Palestinians were living in displacement sites facing moderate or high flood risks. More than 400,000 were in high-risk areas. Israel’s genocidal war, which began in October 2023, destroyed homes and infrastructure in Gaza. More than a year after the October 2025 ceasefire took effect, shelter and reconstruction needs still far exceed available assistance amid continued Israeli restrictions on materials needed for temporary housing and home repairs.