With the first winter rains in Gaza on November 6 and 7, 2026, water flowed into the tents of displaced families, soaking the children's bedding and the few clothes and blankets they had left.
Within 12 hours, approximately 70,000 tents were flooded across the Strip, according to the Gaza Government Communications Office, and the Civil Defense received more than 1,500 distress calls from families who had nowhere to go. Children now sleep on wet mattresses as the temperatures drop, with no heating and no change of clothes. This is the fourth winter that Gaza's displaced people spend in tents.
Israeli Israel destroyed their homes and the drainage networks that once carried the rainwater, and a year after the ceasefire it still restricts the entry of tents, tarpaulins, insulation, caravans and building materials. About 162,000 tents need replacement, and the winter supply aid agencies cover only about 18% of the families in need. ".