November 10, 2026
The heavy rains that fell on the Gaza Strip over the weekend at the beginning of winter turned into a humanitarian disaster, after the torrential rains swept away tens of thousands of displaced people’s tents and destroyed shelter centers, sparking a wave of widespread international criticism of the Israeli restrictions imposed on the entry of supplies for protection from the cold.
In a report published by journalist Lior Ben Ari on the Israeli “ynet” website, he pointed to widespread political and media interaction following the recent depression. The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that about 70,000 tents were flooded with water within just 12 hours, causing severe damage to hundreds of thousands of residents who are already suffering from extremely harsh humanitarian conditions.
Videos of submerged tents and others torn apart by strong winds spread on social media platforms, with activists using hashtags such as “Gaza is drowning,” accusing Israel of deliberately endangering the lives of civilians and depriving them of fuel and relief equipment.
On the international media level, the British newspaper “The Guardian” documented the death of a woman and three children following the collapse of a dirt block on their tent in a camp south of the city of Deir al-Balah. The BBC and Sky News highlighted the statements of UNICEF representative in Palestine, Jonathan Fitch, who confirmed that almost all residents of the Gaza Strip are in dire need of assistance. In Spain, El Pais newspaper published an article by Palestinian photographer Ahmed Abu Kamil under the title “When the sound of rain becomes as frightening as the sound of bombs,” in which he described his family’s suffering inside their tent that was flooded with water. In turn, the American network “NBC” titled its report by noting that thousands of tents had sunk in light of a severe shortage that hinders the humanitarian response.
Diplomatically, international pressure on Israel escalated. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband stated that the British government will not stand idly by in the face of this heartbreaking reality. For his part, the diplomatic advisor to the President of the UAE, Anwar Gargash, described, via the “X” platform, the scenes in Gaza with deep pain, referring to the directives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to provide tents to house 50,000 people, and stressing the continuation of UAE aid to the Palestinian people.
On the other hand, the Israeli army presented a different narrative, confirming in a statement its cooperation with the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Palestinian Territories and international organizations to implement a proactive plan for the winter. The statement explained that more than 91,000 tents and more than 8,200 trucks loaded with blankets and winter equipment were brought in, in addition to the implementation of water and sanitation projects, and the introduction of vaccines, mobile clinics, and medical supplies. The army indicated that it had approved more than 850 requests for relief trucks, attributing the disruption of the implementation of about 50% of them to logistical difficulties related to the United Nations and international organizations, as well as security concerns related to the possibility of this equipment being exploited militarily by the Hamas movement.
In another development, the “Peace Council” for the Gaza Strip issued a strongly worded statement in which it called on Israel to immediately approve the entry of winter preparation equipment, criticizing the delay that exacerbated the human suffering. This position comes following a visit by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a prominent member of the Council, to Israel and his meeting with President Isaac Herzog. The statement also called on the Hamas movement to lay down its arms and relinquish its ruling powers, considering that the faltering implementation of US President Donald Trump’s comprehensive peace plan increases the suffering of Gaza’s civilians.
