Heavy rains and strong winds lashed Gaza on Friday night, flooding displacement sites, collapsing damaged buildings, and killing three children aged four, five, and eight alongside their mother when a sand dune collapsed onto their tent in Deir al-Balah, UNICEF announced on November 9, 2026.
The storm affected more than 106,000 people across all five governorates, according to an update released on Monday by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. About 1.4 million people, or 65 percent of Gaza’s population, live in tents or worn-out makeshift shelters that cannot withstand storms, UN Deputy Special Coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov said from Ramallah.
Humanitarian partners received appeals for aid from more than 26,000 households by November 8, 2026, after water levels rose up to 1.5 meters in some locations. More than 6,000 family shelters were destroyed and 17,400 were damaged, leaving more than 3,900 households with no shelter at all, OCHA reported in its update. Civil defence units received 2,166 distress calls but could respond to only 218.
COGAT continues its winterization efforts, in coordination with the @BoardOfPeace, the @UN and international organizations, to address winter-related humanitarian needs in Gaza. So far, over 93,000 tents and more than 8,600 trucks carrying winter supplies and other essential… pic.twitter.com/iui4ZB3rnf
In the Bureij refugee camp, 65-year-old Abu Sajed placed buckets around his modest room as rain poured through the tarpaulin roof.
“We could no longer stay in bed because of the heavy rain. We moved to chairs in the only part of the room the water had not reached and waited for the rain to stop,” Abu Sajed told Al Jazeera. His blood glucose monitor soaked in the darkness and stopped working, and his family’s solar power system was damaged.
Damaged Infrastructure and Solar Systems
The rainfall disrupted energy sources and threatened hospital equipment across Gaza. “The inverter is the weakest link and the component most likely to fail. It contains sensitive electronic circuit boards that are often not adequately protected against water,” Mohammed Abu Khaled, an engineer specialising in health sector energy systems, said, warning that water entering solar setups damages batteries and inverters through short circuits and corrosion.
He estimated that malfunctions in household and camp solar systems jumped by 40 to 50 percent following the downpour, while solar panel output dropped by 60 to 80 percent on cloudy days.
For displaced families in #Gaza, heavy rain means flooded tents, soaked mattresses and blankets, and little protection from the cold. After years of displacement, families are facing yet another winter in extremely difficult conditions. They urgently need adequate shelter, warm… pic.twitter.com/YG0BwkiAj6
Companies attempting to maintain electricity services struggled with severe damage to facilities. Aya Shaheen, general manager of the Abu Zayed Electricity Company, said that water entered one of their sites despite prefabricated structures housing generators, forcing them to temporarily suspend services at affected branches over short-circuit fears.
The World Bank, the United Nations, and the European Union estimated that 80 percent of electricity generation and distribution assets had been destroyed or rendered inoperable during the war.
Meanwhile, wastewater treatment plants remained non-operational amid a compounding sanitation crisis. In Gaza City, rainwater mixed with sewage threatened to overflow from the Sheikh Radwan stormwater basin, where only two of six pumps still functioned, according to UNICEF. Mine action partners warned that floodwaters could also expose or displace explosive ordnance.
For #Palestine Refugee families in Gaza living in worn-out tents, heavy rain brings another threat to their safety. Thousands of families across #Gaza have lost their shelters and belongings during the recent rains. “Palestine Refugee families in Gaza should not have to fear… pic.twitter.com/rW3ZK2RpP0”
Humanitarian groups face supply shortages during relief efforts
Humanitarian groups stepped in to clear blocked sewers, distribute thermal blankets, and set up sandbags, but supplies remained constrained. More than 150,000 tents purchased by humanitarian partners and member states sat outside Gaza ready for dispatch, including about 117,000 tents from the Egyptian Relief Committee in Al-Arish.
UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told a daily news briefing on Monday that Israeli efforts to facilitate rebuilding were insufficient and that permission was needed to bring supplies through checkpoints.
Mr. Alakbarov called for the urgent lifting of restrictions preventing aid organisations from bringing in vacuum trucks, dewatering pumps, heavy machinery, engine oil, spare parts, tarps, and winter clothing. “These children and their mother were killed because they had nowhere safe to sleep. That is the reality in Gaza today,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement.
Questions About Winter Storms in Gaza
How many people were affected by the recent heavy rainfall in Gaza?
The heavy rains directly affected more than 106,000 people across all five governorates, with humanitarian partners receiving appeals from over 26,000 households, according to OCHA.
What caused the deaths in Deir al-Balah during the storm?
Three children aged four, five, and eight were killed alongside their mother over the weekend when a sand dune collapsed onto their tent following heavy rainfall, UNICEF reported.
How many shelters were destroyed by the flooding?
Humanitarian partners reported that more than 6,000 family shelters were destroyed and 17,400 others were damaged, leaving over 3,900 households with no shelter at all, according to OCHA figures from November 8, 2026.
Where are relief tents currently waiting for entry into Gaza?
More than 150,000 tents purchased by humanitarian partners and member states are positioned outside Gaza, including about 117,000 tents from the Egyptian Relief Committee in Al-Arish, according to UN News.
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