Heavy rainfall and a major seasonal storm have wrought further havoc across the Gaza Strip, inundating the makeshift camps where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are sheltering. The extreme weather, which arrived as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan continues, has compounded what aid workers describe as a catastrophic humanitarian situation. Local emergency services reported receiving numerous distress calls overnight as floodwaters swept through tented encampments, leaving families exposed to the elements.

Civil defence teams in the territory stated that they were forced to conduct rescue operations in the al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis, where several families found their shelters completely submerged. Officials in Gaza City also confirmed they had responded to dozens of urgent appeals, noting that hundreds of tents across various locations had been damaged or washed away by the torrential rain. Described by local sources as a "night of utter misery," the storm has piled yet more suffering onto a population already enduring the collapse of basic infrastructure.

The devastation wrought by more than two years of military operations has left the population dangerously exposed to the winter weather. With an estimated 1.9 million people now living in displacement, the majority of Gaza’s residential buildings have been reduced to rubble or left structurally unsound.

Medical officials have raised the alarm over the lack of basic supplies; it is reported that over 90 percent of the tents in the strip are no longer fit for purpose, offering no protection against the cold and damp. There are growing fears for the most vulnerable, as families lack blankets and heating materials, with shortages of such essentials exceeding 70 percent in many areas. This latest storm follows a pattern of extreme weather that has previously led to dozens of fatalities, including young children, from flooding and hypothermia.