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Winter Rains Swamp Gaza Tents, Worsening Shelter Crisis Under Ceasefire

Aid access remains contested, with U.N. agencies citing shortages and Israel disputing the assessment.

A Palestinian woman pulls a stroller with children, next to piles of rubble, during a rainy day in Gaza City, November 25, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Displaced Palestinians walk through mud at a temporary tent camp following heavy rainfall in Gaza City on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Displaced Palestinians gather next to tents in a flooded area, during a rainy day in Gaza City, November 25, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Displaced Palestinians clear water from their flooded tent at a temporary camp after heavy rainfall in Gaza City Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Overview

  • Heavy downpours on Tuesday flooded displacement camps across Gaza, with witnesses reporting water rising 40 to 50 centimeters and a field hospital suspending operations.
  • The Palestinian Civil Defence Service said thousands of tents were inundated or damaged, and residents described worn tarps and shelters failing at the start of winter.
  • Humanitarian leaders called for a major scale‑up in shelter, with the Palestinian NGOs Network urging delivery of at least 300,000 new tents for roughly 1.5 million displaced people.
  • OCHA reported at least 13,000 tents damaged in recent storms and noted earlier distributions of 3,600 tents, 129,000 tarpaulins and 87,000 blankets, while COGAT cites hundreds of daily aid trucks and about 140,000 tarps coordinated for winterization.
  • Public health risks are rising as nearly half the population gets under six liters of water per day and UNICEF warns more than 320,000 children under five face acute malnutrition, against a backdrop of 91% of homes damaged or destroyed.