Winter storms have swallowed large parts of Gaza under cold, murky water, plunging displaced families into yet another wave of devastation. Makeshift tents were soaked through overnight, leaving children shivering in flooded shelters where mattresses, blankets and the few belongings people still carry were ruined. The storm has laid bare the fragility of a population struggling to survive under a genocidal war that has stripped the territory of safety, stability and dignity.

At dawn, many woke to find their tents collapsing under the weight of the water, with levels rising above ten centimetres in some areas. People scattered once more, seeking a drier patch of ground after months of being uprooted repeatedly. Their pleas for assistance intensified as the cold and rain forced families into dangerous journeys in search of shelter. With essential supplies heavily restricted, even basic items such as replacement tents or mobile shelters remain out of reach, leaving thousands exposed to winter conditions.

The storm highlighted what residents have warned for months: most tents are no longer fit for purpose. After nearly two years of tightened blockade and repeated strikes, more than a hundred thousand shelters have been damaged or destroyed, leaving few places where people can stay dry, warm or safe. With alternative housing blocked and humanitarian access severely limited, many describe living through a catastrophe with no visible end.

Since 2023, tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in this genocidal war, most of them women and children. Hundreds of thousands more are left to endure freezing nights, destroyed homes and the relentless threat of further devastation. As the rain continues to fall, Gaza sinks deeper into a human tragedy that the world has allowed to unfold in plain sight.