Andrea Innocenti Civil Defense recorded 1.500 distress calls after the violent storm on November 7, 2026, which flooded camps in the Gaza Strip.
The rains hit densely populated areas between Gaza City , Khan Younis , Deir el-Balah and the large coastal sector of al-Mawasi , turning reception centres into vast pools of water and putting newborns, the elderly and chronic patients at risk.
Impact on camps and tents
In the main settlements, the water level rose 30-40 cm , submerging mattresses and blankets and damaging parts of canvas roofs. Images show rows of tents knee-deep in water and children walking barefoot through mud and stagnant water. In the last twelve hours, 70.000 tents have been reported flooded, with damage estimated at around $3 million.
Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal warned that the situation had exceeded expectations and that families were being forced to leave flooded shelters. "Those living in tents are at risk of death at any time, and disease at any time," he said, highlighting the risk of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections in humid environments.
Evacuations, injuries and structural damage
Authorities evacuated a building in Nuseirat that partially collapsed under the weight of rain and wind; Wafa reports reported two minor injuries. Several retaining walls collapsed in various locations, causing injuries classified as minor and increasing the demand for basic medical care.
The tents, defined here as temporary structures without insulation or protection against the elements, have proven unsuitable for coping with the first winter under siege for over 1.000.000 displaced people seeking shelter in the Strip.
Logistical limitations and lack of materials
Gaza Governorate's civil defense director, Raed al-Dahshan , said that operational personnel did not have "even a single tent or tarpaulin." The daily flow of convoys remains low: between 180 and 200 trucks pass through each day, far below the 600 units required by the ceasefire protocol.
Of these convoys, only about ten were reported to be carrying actual humanitarian aid, while the rest were carrying fuel or reconstruction materials. Mohammed Salha , director of the Palestinian NGO Network , reported a stockpile of 50.000 tents sitting on the other side of the Egyptian border and urgently requested 200.000 new tents and heating supplies.
Risks on the al-Mawasi coast and numbers of people involved
Local authorities have reported that over 125.000 families along the al-Mawasi coast fear their tents could be swept away by the sea, while more than 900.000 people are already camped in that vulnerable area. Continued rainfall threatens the dunes and natural reefs that protect the coast.
The combination of a sudden storm, limited response capacity, and logistical constraints is creating an acute humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. Aid officials have emphasized the need to expedite the opening of humanitarian corridors and authorize the entry of currently blocked supplies.
Last updated: November 7, 2026. Authorities have indicated that distribution priorities for tents and heating systems will be assessed in the coming hours, while requests to increase convoys and release emergency supplies continue.