Overnight storms flooded displacement camps across Gaza, collapsing tents and forcing families into the streets with little shelter or supplies.
Key Developments
- Dozens of tents sheltering displaced families were flooded overnight into Tuesday.
- Severe cold and heavy rain soaked bedding, clothing, and food supplies, leaving children and the elderly particularly exposed.
- Flooding was reported in multiple locations, including Nuseirat and the Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City, as well as al-Mawasi west of Khan Yunis.
- Civil defense crews and municipalities reported dozens of distress calls as camps turned into pools of water and mud.
- Local officials warned that limited fuel, equipment restrictions, and too few water-pumping vehicles are crippling emergency response.
Night of Flooding and Displacement
A wave of heavy rainfall and sharp temperature drops swept through Gaza overnight, turning tent camps into waterlogged fields and forcing many families to abandon what remained of their shelters.
The night’s downpour was devastating for thousands of displaced families, with worn tents becoming pools of water as mattresses, blankets, and clothing were soaked, according to Al-Jazeera.
In several camps, tents collapsed under wind and rain, particularly in Nuseirat and the Zaytoun neighborhood east of Gaza City, leaving families trying to salvage essentials at daybreak.
Beneath the Plastic Sheets: A Day in the Life of Gaza’s Displaced
Journalists on the ground described families digging improvised channels in the sand to divert water away from their tents—often through the early morning hours—while many said they were unable to eat suhoor because they were busy holding down collapsing fabric and clearing floodwater.
By morning, damage was visible across camps where water had seeped into shelters and ruined the few possessions families still had, with some residents describing impassable pathways between tents due to standing water and thick mud.
Distress Calls and Emergency Rescues
Flooding was also reported in the southern Gaza displacement areas, where tents are often erected on exposed ground with minimal protection from storms.
According to Quds News Network, dozens of tents were flooded in Al-Mawasi west of Khan Yunis after rainfall through the night and into Tuesday morning, amid what it described as harsh weather and a significant drop in temperatures.
The report said Gaza civil defense crews received multiple distress calls overnight and rescued a number of families after their tents were flooded in Al-Mawasi.
It also cited Gaza Municipality as saying it received dozens of emergency calls after rainwater inundated large numbers of tents in different parts of the Strip, as municipal teams attempted to respond despite limited resources.
A Crisis Worsened by Shortages
The current flooding of displacement camps comes against the backdrop of a broader humanitarian catastrophe tied to the collapse of Gaza’s infrastructure.
An investigation by the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem documented that severe winter storms in December 2025 and January 2026 resulted in the deaths of 39 Palestinians, including 22 children, after heavy rainfall, strong winds, and flooding struck areas where essential infrastructure had already been destroyed.
39 Dead, Including 22 Children, as Gaza Infrastructure Collapses — B’Tselem
The report found that drainage systems, electricity networks, and safe housing had been so extensively damaged that communities were left without adequate protection from extreme weather. Many of those who died were living in temporary shelters or partially damaged homes, unable to withstand heavy rain and cold temperatures.
According to the findings, the fatalities were not solely the result of severe weather but were directly compounded by the destruction of civilian infrastructure necessary to protect life. Displacement camps were particularly vulnerable, with rainwater inundating tents and families lacking heating, insulation, or proper drainage.
(PC, Al-Jazeera, QNN)
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