Heavy rainfall across Gaza in early November 2026 submerged tens of thousands of displacement tents, leaving an estimated 350,000 people without dry shelter. The catastrophe, which triggered over 1,500 emergency calls to civil defense teams, has intensified a humanitarian crisis and led to conflicting claims between international bodies, the Israeli government, and the Hamas-run media office regarding the scale of the disaster and the responsibility for aid bottlenecks.
The November Storm Timeline and Disputed Narratives
The first major winter storm of the season arrived in the Gaza Strip on November 6, 2026. Justin Pozmanter, News Director at HonestReporting, said that the narrative and scale of suffering were “written by Hamas before it even started raining.” Pozmanter pointed to a November 1 press release from the Hamas-government Gaza Winter Emergency Committee, which he argued set the stage for the figures later disseminated to the international press.
As heavy rain and flooding hit #Gaza, around 1.4 million people living in tents and makeshift shelters are once again facing a harsh winter. We call for the entry of essential winter supplies. People cannot endure a fourth winter in these conditions. Saeed Abu el-Nour updates: pic.twitter.com/tbooqhWa3A
Conversely, rights groups such as the Euro-Med Monitor, led by chairman Ramy Abdul, described the scene as a consequence of a “suffocating Israeli siege.” Abdul said that the winter rain had transformed the area into a tableau of suffering, claiming that the siege prevents the recovery of victims’ bodies from beneath rubble.
Humanitarian Impact on the Displaced
According to UNICEF, the rain directly affected 106,000 people, with overflowing latrines and submerged tents posing severe health risks. In the central Gaza enclave, Father Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest of Holy Family, told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that the situation had become “more terrible and unlivable every day,” noting that words were no longer sufficient to describe the reality on the ground.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is getting worse. Heavy rain. Flooded tents. The reality on the ground is heartbreaking. The UK government will not stand by. We will not rest until we bring an end to the intolerable suffering. pic.twitter.com/BgmzzsmFRj
The human cost was documented by staff on the ground, including NPR’s Anas Baba, who reported from the Al-Aqsa Hospital morgue. Ahmad Nabhan, a father in Gaza, was observed placing basil leaves on the head of his 5-year-old daughter, Maryam, who was wrapped in a burial shroud.
Other reports highlighted the collapse of infrastructure; at least 2,000 buildings damaged by previous Israeli airstrikes are now at risk of total collapse, according to Gaza’s civil defense teams.
Board of Peace Criticizes Israeli Response to Flooding
The US-backed Board of Peace, an international body, criticized the Israeli government’s response to the flooding as “insufficient.” While the Board acknowledged that the Israeli government was considering new steps, it maintained that current actions failed to meet the urgency of the crisis.
While the Board weighed these developments, this prompted an official rebuttal from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which insisted that Israel was doing what it could to allow winter equipment into the Strip. The Prime Minister’s Office stated, “Israel had hoped that Hamas would honor its commitment to disarm, demilitarize, step down from governance, and begin de-radicalizing Gaza.”
Israel’s Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) clarified that while over 91,000 tents had been allowed into Gaza, the state continues to block heavy equipment and materials like cement and timber.
COGAT stated, “Israel will not permit the entry of equipment that could be used to develop terrorist capabilities.” Philippe Lazzarini, the former head of UNRWA, described the Board of Peace’s assessment as an “understatement,” while others alleged that the destruction of infrastructure and a block on building materials were the true causes of the current defenselessness.
Tents continue to enter the Gaza Strip on a daily basis. To date, over 91,000 tents and more than 8,200 trucks carrying winter supplies have entered Gaza. COGAT will continue facilitating humanitarian assistance and winter preparedness efforts while taking the necessary… pic.twitter.com/NYirbVcqul
Khan Younis Massacre Anniversary Coincides with Current Emergency
The current emergency coincides with the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Khan Younis massacre, a historical event noted by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese.
Albanese condemned the current conditions as “the shame of our time.” As families struggle to dry mattresses under a weak sun, Bishop William Shomali, Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem and Palestine, said that many families are forced to pray by the light of flashlights or candles in a land he described as having become “a land of darkness.”
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
With more than 150,000 tents reportedly awaiting Israeli authorization to enter the territory, humanitarian organizations continue to warn that the population remains entirely exposed to the elements. As winter continues, the gap between the aid required and the aid permitted by Israeli authorities is a central point of contention in diplomatic efforts to stabilize the enclave.
More on Hamas
UNRWA winter emergency teams are active across #Gaza, clearing drains, identifying areas at risk of flooding, checking available equipment, and putting preventive measures in place, including sandbags. But many water pumps are out of service due to shortages of engine oil and… pic.twitter.com/40q11iuH3w
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