Heavy rain floods Gaza tents for homeless Palestinians amid efforts to ramp up aid
There’s an urgent need for at least 300,000 new tents to house about 1.5 million displaced people, said Amjad Al-Shawa, head of the Palestinian NGOs Network.
November 26, 2025 12:39 PM IST
First published on: Nov 26, 2025 at 12:39 PM IST
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Palestinians walk through a flooded street next to a temporary tent camp after heavy rainfall in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip. (AP Photo)
Continuous heavy rain has caused flooding in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, affecting the tents of thousands of homeless Palestinians as they face the prospect of harsh winter storms without a proper shelter home, two years after the war started between Israel and militant group Hamas.
A vast majority of Gaza’s 2 million population was forced to flee their homes in October 2023 when Israel launched its counter offensive after Hamas attacked Tel Aviv and reportedly killed over 1,200 people and took another 250 as hostage. Those who fled their homes during the ground and air offensive now reside in tents and other basic shelters.
A ceasefire, sponsored by the United States-led President Donald Trump administration, has broadly held since mid-October but the war has demolished much of Gaza, including basic infrastructure. According to local authorities, the Israeli military has damaged 220,000 linear meters (136.7 miles) of road network across Gaza, Anadolu agency reported.
Displaced Palestinians clear water from their flooded tent at a temporary camp after heavy rainfall in Gaza City Tuesday. (AP Photo)
One of those affected, Um Ahmed Aowdah while standing outside her tent as rain poured heavily said, “This suffering, this rain – and the low-pressure weather systems haven’t even started yet. It’s only the beginning of winter, and we’re already flooded and humiliated. We haven’t received new tents or tarps. Our tarp is two years old and our tent is two years old – they’re completely worn out,” Reuters reported.
There’s an urgent need for at least 300,000 new tents to house about 1.5 million displaced people, said Amjad Al-Shawa, head of the Palestinian NGOs Network. According to Palestinian Civil Defence Service, due to excessive rain in the region, floods and torrential rainstorms have overwhelmed thousands of tents housing displaced families.
The United Nations humanitarian agency reported last week that heavy rain has damaged about 13,000 tents and “destroyed what little shelter and belongings thousands of Palestinians in Gaza had left,” Times of Israel reported.
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Palestinians walk through a flooded street next to a temporary tent camp after heavy rainfall in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip. (AP Photo) 
