Palestinians in Gaza are confronting an impossible decision this winter, forced to choose between living in tents vulnerable to flooding or in the precarious ruins of bombed-out buildings that risk collapse. Recent torrential rains have intensified the humanitarian crisis, killing at least 17 people and flooding 90% of shelters, leaving over 1.3 million in urgent need of proper housing.
With more than 400,000 homes destroyed during the prolonged conflict, displaced families like that of Hiyam Abu Nabah in Khan Younis have no safe options. Nabah and her family reside in a shell of a building with pancaked upper floors, where during storms, they hear stones cracking and sand falling, describing it as “not a life.” Her five-year-old child navigates between hanging electrical wires, now used for drying clothes, highlighting the absence of basic utilities and safety.
The winter storms have brought deadly consequences, with last week’s floods claiming lives including children, and building collapses adding to the toll. Palestinian Civil Defense Spokesperson Mahmoud Basal reported that over 90 residential buildings were affected, and approximately 90% of displacement shelters were completely inundated. In the al-Shati camp, a building collapse killed one man and injured two, attributed to prior damage from airstrikes exacerbated by harsh weather.
Emergency services are overwhelmed, lacking heavy machinery like excavators to rescue survivors trapped under rubble. Mohammad Fathi of the Gaza Civil Defense warned that “with every winter storm, many families and many children will die,” yet advice to evacuate damaged buildings is often ignored due to the lack of alternatives. Tents, provided by aid agencies, are deemed inadequate for Gaza’s winter, but for many, they remain the only semblance of shelter.
The United Nations estimates that 1.3 million Palestinians require urgent shelter this winter. While Israeli authorities, through COGAT, have allowed the entry of about 310,000 tents and tarpaulins along with over 1,800 trucks of warm supplies, the UN and international NGOs argue that more aid is desperately needed. They report being blocked by Israel from directly delivering assistance, complicating relief efforts.
Among the weather-related fatalities were a two-week-old baby and an eight-month-old infant, both dying of hypothermia, underscoring the vulnerability of the youngest in the crisis. Bakr Mahmoud al-Sheikh Ali from Khan Younis expressed the pervasive fear, noting that people reluctantly stay in unstable structures because tents offer no protection from the cold and wet conditions.
The situation reflects a broader collapse of infrastructure in Gaza, where sewage mixes with rainwater, ruining tents and displacing families repeatedly. The sentiment echoed by displaced Gazans is one of despair, with many stating that this is no way to live. As winter deepens, the international community faces mounting calls to facilitate more aid and address the root causes of the shelter shortage.
Ultimately, the grim choice between soaked tents and bombed-out ruins highlights the ongoing humanitarian disaster in Gaza, where survival hinges on precarious shelters amid continued conflict and environmental challenges. Without significant intervention, the winter months threaten to exact a heavier toll on a population already enduring immense hardship.
