SAFA — UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese condemned the suffering of displaced Palestinian children in Gaza after heavy rains flooded their tents, leaving families exposed to cold temperatures and harsh winter conditions in what she described as the “shame of our time.”

Her remarks come as displaced families struggle to survive severe winter storms amid continued Israeli restrictions on the entry of shelter materials, humanitarian aid, and essential supplies into the devastated Gaza Strip.

In a post on X, Albanese expressed outrage over images of Palestinian children sheltering in tents inundated with cold floodwater, without adequate protection from rain and freezing weather.

She invoked the words of Italian writer and Holocaust survivor Primo Levi, criticizing how lessons about human suffering are forgotten when political and diplomatic interests take precedence.

“The words of Primo Levi come to mind, which every European learns by heart at school but forgets as soon as they enter the world of politics or diplomacy,” Albanese wrote.

A powerful winter storm brought heavy rainfall and widespread flooding across Gaza, worsening conditions for displaced Palestinians living in makeshift shelters, according to the Palestinian Information Center.

Gaza's Government Media Office reported that approximately 70,000 tents were flooded, leaving displaced families struggling to protect their children and belongings from rising water.

The office also reported that four Palestinians, including a mother and her two children, were killed when a sand embankment collapsed onto displacement tents in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.

The flooding has further exposed Gaza's deepening shelter crisis following widespread destruction of homes and essential infrastructure during Israel's military assault.

In August, Gaza's Government Media Office reported that more than 2.15 million Palestinians were living in dire humanitarian conditions, including approximately 867,000 people in deteriorating tents and more than one million in displacement shelters.

Despite the ceasefire, displaced families continue to endure harsh conditions in temporary shelters that provide little protection against heavy rainfall, flooding, and cold weather.

Israeli restrictions on the entry of prefabricated housing units, construction materials, and essential shelter supplies have further obstructed efforts to provide safe accommodation for displaced Palestinians.

Albanese's remarks draw attention to the continuing humanitarian emergency facing Gaza's children as winter storms compound the suffering of families already displaced by war and destruction.