Winter crisis: Rain swamps Gaza tents
Shafaq News – Gaza
Two hours of rainfall triggered a severe humanitarian emergency in Gaza, with thousands of distress calls received across the city since the onset of the storm, the Civil Defense said on Saturday.
Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal told Al-Jazeera that families sheltering in tents faced “extreme hardship” as rising water flooded makeshift structures, leaving many—especially children—exposed to the cold and forcing some families to spend the night outdoors.
#شاهد | مشاهد من مواصي خانيونس بعد غرق الشوارع والخيام بمياه الأمطار جراء البنية التحتية المتهالكة بفعل حرب الإبادة. pic.twitter.com/qFE1sYSusd
— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) November 15, 2025
According to Palestinian media outlets, the Civil Defense in Khan Younis in southern Gaza reported that no new tents have been allowed into the Strip and that the aid entering the enclave covers less than 15 percent of current needs.
#متابعة | الدفاع المدني في خانيونس: - لم يتم حتى الآن إدخال الخيام إلى قطاع غزة والاحتلال لم يلتزم بذلكـ ما دخل حتى الآن من مساعدات لم يتجاوز 15% من الاحتياجاتـ لا نستطيع الاستجابة للعديد من الاستغاثات نتيجة قلة الإمكانيات
— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) November 15, 2025
In a post on X, UNRWA warned that displaced families across Gaza are without the basic supplies needed to protect them from winter weather, noting that shelter materials are ready but await clearance to enter the enclave.
It’s cold and wet in #Gaza.Displaced people are now facing a harsh #winter without the basics to protect them from the rain & cold. A misery on top of misery.Fragile shelters quickly flood, soaking people’s belongings. More shelter supplies are urgently needed for the… pic.twitter.com/RcjX0uKykm
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) November 15, 2025
Humanitarian access remains a central element of the proposed Gaza ceasefire framework, which calls for expanding the entry of food, medicine, fuel, and shelter supplies through coordinated corridors.
Read more: Against the cold: Gaza's displaced face humanitarian peril in winter 2025
