When the first heavy rains of winter swept across Gaza, they found a population already living in the ruins of war, and the water did what the war had left undone: it rose through tent camps, mixed with sewage, and took what little shelter remained. In the way of such moments, the harm lands first on the poorest and most exposed, a woman and three children among the dead and more than two hundred thousand people left without a dry place to sleep. The question now hanging over the territory is less about the weather than about who will be permitted to bring in the tents, pumps and materials tha
Gaza Families Scavenge Rubble for Shelter as Floods Leave 200,000 Without Dry Accommodation
A woman and three children were killed when a collapsing sand bank struck, and more than 200,000 people lack safe, dry accommodation.
Rebuilding shelter from the rubble of the homes the war destroyed
Mark
Why does a story about rain feel bigger than weather?
Mimi
Because the damage is tied to what's missing. Over 40,000 tents were damaged and more than 200,000 people lost dry shelter, and people like Sharif Abu Shaar are hauling metal out of ruined buildings to hold tarps up.
Mark
Who is blamed for the shortage?
Mimi
Everyone points elsewhere. The Board of Peace criticises both Israel and Hamas, Netanyahu's office blames Hamas, and OCHA says over 150,000 tents are stuck because of Israeli restrictions and funding gaps.
Luke
Careful with the numbers, though. The 91,000 tents and 8,200 trucks are Netanyahu's office's figures, and the 150,000 waiting tents are OCHA's. They don't obviously reconcile, and the story doesn't say how.
Mark
And the claim that Hamas blocks engineers?
Luke
That rests on one man's social media post. It's an allegation, not something confirmed here. The claim that Hamas steals aid is also Israel's assertion in this piece.
Mimi
What is firmly reported is the human cost: a woman and three children killed by a collapsed sand bank, per local health authorities.
Mark
What about disease?
Mimi
Floodwater has mixed with sewage, and the Sheikh Radwan basin in Gaza City is filling with contaminated water. UNICEF says it lacks equipment to pump it out.
Luke
Worth noting that concern about outbreaks is a warning, not a reported outbreak. Nothing here says disease has spread yet.
Il Polso
- Floodwater mixed with sewage is spreading through overcrowded tent camps, and health workers fear disease will follow the rain.
- A sand bank collapse has already claimed a woman and three children, turning the first storm of the season into a fatal event.
- More than 40,000 tents are damaged while over 150,000 more wait at the border, stuck behind restrictions and funding gaps.
- The Board of Peace, Israel and Hamas trade blame for the blocked shelter supplies, and no one is yet moving the materials in.
- Families are dragging scrap metal from wrecked buildings to prop up their tents, and winter has only just begun.
When the first heavy rains of winter swept across Gaza, they found a population already living in the ruins of war, and the water did what the war had left undone: it rose through tent camps, mixed with sewage, and took what little shelter remained. In the way of such moments, the harm lands first on the poorest and most exposed, a woman and three children among the dead and more than two hundred thousand people left without a dry place to sleep. The question now hanging over the territory is less about the weather than about who will be permitted to bring in the tents, pumps and materials that might hold back the next storm, and each of the parties involved is pointing toward someone else.
In Khan Younis, Sharif Abu Shaar, 45, has spent days pulling reinforcement bars and scrap metal from ruined buildings to prop up the tent his family lives in. He called the first storm a catastrophe, with water, wind and rain pushing through sheeting that already has holes and needs repair.
The first heavy rains of the season flooded camps across Gaza, where hundreds of thousands now live. Local health authorities said a woman and three children were killed when a sand bank collapsed. The United Nations counts more than 40,000 damaged tents and over 200,000 people without safe, dry shelter. Because much of the territory's infrastructure was destroyed in the war, floodwater is mixing with sewage, raising fears of disease in crowded makeshift communities.
In Al Mawasi, Samah Abu Shaar, 40, described her daughter waking to water falling on them as they slept, soaking clothes, mattresses and bedding.
The flooding has sharpened a dispute over responsibility. The Board of Peace called it an immediate humanitarian emergency and blamed both Israeli restrictions and Hamas for holding up progress. Netanyahu's office blamed Hamas for diverting aid and said more than 91,000 tents and 8,200 trucks had been allowed in. OCHA says more than 150,000 tents are waiting to enter, held up by restrictions and funding shortfalls. UNICEF's Toby Fricker said demand still far outstrips supply, and warned that the Sheikh Radwan stormwater basin is filling with contaminated water it lacks equipment to pump out.
With winter only beginning, whether tents, drainage and pumping equipment reach Gaza will determine how much more harm the weather does.
In Khan Younis, Sharif Abu Shaar, 45, has been pulling reinforcement bars and other scrap metal out of wrecked buildings, using it to prop up the tent he lives in before the winter sets in. He told the ABC that the first storm left his family in miserable conditions, with water, wind and rain, and that he called it a catastrophe. When word spread that metal could be salvaged from the rubble, he started rebuilding with it. The sheeting he has, he said, still has holes that let rain through, and it needs repair.
The first heavy rains of the season arrived last weekend and flooded the tent camps across Gaza where hundreds of thousands of people now live. Local health authorities said a woman and three children were killed when a sand bank collapsed. The United Nations said more than 40,000 tents were damaged, leaving more than 200,000 people without safe, dry accommodation. In many places the floodwater mixed with sewage, because much of the territory's infrastructure was destroyed during the war, and that has raised concern about fresh outbreaks of disease in crowded, makeshift communities.
In Al Mawasi, nearer the Mediterranean, Samah Abu Shaar, 40, described the rain as devastating for the camp where she lives. Her daughter told her water fell on her while she slept, soaking her clothes, the mattresses and the duvet.
Gaza is about to enter its fourth winter since the war began and its second since President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire. Local health authorities say that since the truce took effect in October 2025, more than 1,600 Palestinians have been killed and more than 5,800 injured by continuing Israeli strikes, many of them civilians, including women and children.
The flooding has sharpened an argument over who is responsible, involving aid agencies, the Israeli government and the US-backed Board of Peace. On Monday the Board called the situation an immediate humanitarian emergency and criticised both Israeli authorities and Hamas for having impeded progress for civilians living among the rubble. It said it had urged Israel to authorise the entry of essential materials for temporary shelter, water and sanitation, waste management, drainage and sewage. It also said it had repeatedly pressed Hamas to lay down its arms and give up governing authority. The Board described Israel's steps so far as insufficient, and suggested this had also slowed Hamas disarmament. It added that recent military activity in civilian areas and near Israeli positions endangers civilians and undermines the past year's humanitarian progress.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office answered on X by blaming Hamas, accusing it of lying, stealing, exploiting and rearming. It repeated claims that Hamas diverts aid and said that as long as Hamas holds power it will use every dual-use item entering Gaza for its military. The office said more than 91,000 tents had been allowed in ahead of winter, along with more than 8,200 trucks carrying items such as tarpaulins and blankets.
There are also allegations that Hamas has blocked engineers from shelter projects to worsen the crisis. These stem from a social media post by a man named Ahmed al-Tallouli, who said Hamas forced him to stop work. The OCHA, the UN humanitarian agency, says more than 150,000 tents are waiting to enter Gaza, held up by Israeli restrictions and funding shortfalls.
UNICEF's Toby Fricker told the ABC that demand for shelter still outstrips supply, and that the needs are immense for any agency trying to serve everyone. The ceasefire brought some stability for children and families, he said, but it now has to deliver recovery. He pointed to Sheikh Radwan, a stormwater basin meant to hold rainfall and protect Gaza City neighbourhoods from flooding. It is filling up and is contaminated with sewage, a serious public health risk for children and families nearby, and UNICEF lacks the equipment to pump it out quickly enough because of restrictions on equipment.
With winter only beginning, whether tents, drainage and pumping equipment get in will decide how much more harm the weather does.
Citazioni salienti
The needs are immense and vast.— Toby Fricker, UNICEF
We lived in miserable conditions, with water, wind and rain. It was a catastrophe.— Sharif Abu Shaar, Khan Younis resident
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