Gaza Herald – Powerful winds and heavy rain battered Gaza on Saturday night, flooding and ripping apart makeshift tents sheltering displaced families whose homes were destroyed during Israel’s two-year genocidal war. Entire families, including children, were forced into the open as flimsy shelters collapsed under the storm.
Water inundated tents in low-lying areas while violent gusts tore others from the ground, worsening an already dire humanitarian situation. Gaza City municipality said thousands of families were left without shelter overnight, urging urgent pressure on Israel to open crossings and allow the entry of emergency aid and shelter supplies.
Civil Defence crews said they received nonstop distress calls as worn-out tents failed to withstand the storm. Many families attempted to secure their shelters, but the intensity of the winds rendered all efforts futile, leaving people exposed to freezing temperatures.
Weather officials said Gaza was hit by a polar low-pressure system bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall, compounding the suffering of Palestinians living in fragile tents and overcrowded shelters with no basic protection. Since December, storms have killed at least 17 Palestinians, including four children, and flooded nearly 90 percent of displacement shelters.
Despite the ceasefire that took effect in October 2025, living conditions have seen little improvement, as Israel continues to block the entry of mobile homes and construction materials, forcing more than 1.5 million displaced Palestinians to endure extreme weather in unsafe, degrading conditions.
