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GAZA, Palestine: Heavy rainfall has flooded around 70,000 tents sheltering displaced Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, leaving thousands of families exposed to cold and worsening humanitarian conditions.

Gaza’s Government Media Office said the tents were flooded within approximately 12 hours after the first winter storm of the season struck the territory on Saturday.

The flooding soaked mattresses, blankets and clothing, while strong winds damaged makeshift shelters and forced families to flee inundated displacement camps.

Emergency Services Overwhelmed

Gaza’s Civil Defence service received around 1,500 distress calls from residents seeking urgent assistance after their shelters were flooded, according to local officials.

Dozens of damaged walls and roofs also collapsed during the storm, causing injuries. Three abandoned houses were reported to have collapsed without causing further injuries, according to the Civil Defence service.

Emergency responders have struggled to assist affected families due to severe shortages of fuel, equipment and essential supplies. Damaged water pumping vehicles and other machinery have further limited their ability to respond to the flooding.

Growing Winter Humanitarian Crisis

The storm has intensified concerns over the living conditions of displaced Palestinians, many of whom are staying in makeshift tents with little protection against heavy rain and strong winds.

Gaza’s Civil Defence authorities have appealed to the international community and humanitarian organisations to provide urgent assistance, warning that their limited resources are insufficient to deal with the scale of the emergency.

The Government Media Office estimated initial losses from the flooding at approximately USD 3 million.

Humanitarian organisations have repeatedly warned that Gaza faces significant shortages of winter shelter materials, including tents, waterproof coverings, mattresses and heating supplies.

With much of the territory’s infrastructure damaged and large numbers of families still displaced, the arrival of winter has added another serious challenge to Gaza’s already severe humanitarian crisis.