Heavy storm floods tents in Gaza, worsening displacement crisis
4 Min Read
Flooding in the Al-Mawasi area has left forcibly displaced Palestinians scrambling to salvage belongings as emergency crews respond across Khan Younis.
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A barefoot Palestinian child walks in the rain carrying a plastic jerrycan of water in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City, Friday, November 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Gaza’s Civil Defense warned Saturday that intense rainfall has inundated dozens of tents housing forcibly displaced families in the al-Mawasi coastal zone near Khan Younis, compounding already dire living conditions.
The agency said emergency crews “are responding to dozens of flooded tents in displacement camps across several areas of Al-Mawasi in Khan Younis” as families struggle to protect what remains of their belongings.
In a similar context, the Civil Defense in Gaza confirmed on Friday that it has received continuous distress calls from early morning, as tents collapsed and were flooded with rainwater in camps and shelters scattered across multiple areas. The most severe cases were recorded in Gaza City, particularly in al-Nafaq, al-Daraj, al-Yarmouk, al-Zaytoun, and the al-Shati refugee camp.
Children of Gaza die from the cold.
— Dr. Yousef 𓂆🇵🇸 (@yousef_ki1) November 14, 2025
The tents are drowning from the heavy rain.
If you see this video, put a dot to break the algorithm. pic.twitter.com/e1rJEE12WK
The situation was similarly dire in the central governorate, including al-Baraka and al-Bassa in Deir al-Balah, near the Islamic Bank on Salah al-Din Street west of al-Bureij camp, and in displacement sites surrounding the Nuseirat market area.
With winter conditions arriving and infrastructure destroyed by months of bombardment, civil defense authorities urged immediate international intervention. Gaza's civil defense appealed specifically to countries overseeing the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza to take responsibility for the humanitarian disaster affecting nearly half a million families uprooted by the Israeli occupation’s "ongoing war of extermination."
The Civil Defense stressed that these families are living in extremely harsh conditions inside overcrowded displacement camps and temporary shelters, demanding the urgent entry of caravans, housing units, and weather-resistant tents to prevent further catastrophe as temperatures drop.
Thousands without shelter
Hamas also warned that the camps have “turned into pools of mud,” leaving thousands without any protection from the cold. The movement said the scenes reflect “the escalating suffering endured by the Palestinian people in the Strip,” and highlight the urgent need for shelter and relief supplies.
Some friends in Gaza told me they were hoping it wouldn’t rain this year, and now u see the reason.
— Abier (@abierkhatib) November 14, 2025
I’m ashamed of my own comfort and by how indifferent world is… pic.twitter.com/42Se2boMTP
It condemned the Israeli occupation for continuing to obstruct the entry of humanitarian aid, including tents and prefabricated housing, and called on the UN, the guarantors of the ceasefire, the Arab League, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to move swiftly to deliver food, medical support, and emergency shelter to Gaza.
Hamas further urged greater popular and official support to ensure displaced families are protected and provided basic human needs amid "the catastrophic reality" imposed by the Israeli occupation.
Khan Younis warns 900,000 displaced
The spokesperson for the Khan Younis Municipality, Saeb Laqqan, reported that more than 900,000 displaced Palestinians are currently living in makeshift tents in the coastal al-Mawasi area, expressing deep concern for their safety as a weather depression approaches.
Laqqan stressed the urgent need to pressure the Israeli occupation to allow the entry of essential equipment required by the municipality to carry out its work and secure the displaced population in these emergency conditions.
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in the Gaza Strip had reported that Israeli warplanes launched two airstrikes southeast of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the besieged territory. The strikes coincided with gunfire from Israeli tanks positioned south of the city.
'Israel' continues to violate the ceasefire in Gaza
Hamas has accused "Israel" of daily violations of the ceasefire agreement signed in Sharm el-Sheikh nearly a month ago, holding it fully responsible for undermining the deal and seeking to derail it.
On November 11, the Government Media Office in Gaza also published statistics detailing the Israeli violations committed since the ceasefire was reached on October 10. According to figures compiled by the office, "Israel" committed 282 ceasefire violations during this period, killing 242 Palestinians and injuring 620 others.
The documentation details a broad range of violations, including 88 shooting incidents targeting civilians, 12 incursions into residential areas beyond the yellow-line buffer zone, 124 airstrikes and attacks, 52 demolitions of civilian homes, and the arrest of 23 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip.
