[[{"content_id":422956,"content_number":0,"portal_id":2,"lang_id":"en","content_title":"Gaza: 70,000 tents flooded as displaced families face cold and exposure","content_rtitr":"","content_short_title":null,"content_summary":"The first storm to hit the Gaza Strip at the start of the winter season was not merely a passing spell of rain. Within hours, it turned into a new humanitarian disaster as floodwaters inundated tens of thousands of families’ tents, soaking mattresses, blankets, and basic living supplies.","content_summary_fill":1,"content_body":"As a result, hundreds of thousands of displaced families have been left facing a harsh ordeal amid inadequate shelter and severe shortages of resources needed to withstand the winter conditions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe Government Media Office (GMO) in Gaza announced on Saturday that around 70,000 tents sheltering displaced people were flooded within just 12 hours of rainfall and winds, estimating the initial direct losses at approximately $3 million.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nGMO said that heavy rains and strong winds also led to the collapse of dozens of walls across the Gaza Strip, leaving several people wounded, some critically, warning that further collapses could occur, particularly involving buildings damaged by Israeli bombardment during the war and now structurally unsafe.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe storm also highlighted the widening gap between Gaza&rsquo;s mounting humanitarian needs and the limited resources available to address them. Civil defense crews reported receiving 2,166 distress calls since the storm began battering the territory on Friday evening, but they were able to respond to only 218.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCivil defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal reported at a news conference that floodwaters submerged dozens of displacement camps, shelters, and residential areas.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nStrained by a sharp shortage of equipment and an overwhelming influx of distress calls, civil defense crews often had to advise affected families remotely instead of reaching them on the ground, Basal said.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nVulnerable groups, especially infants, premature babies, the elderly, the sick, and people with disabilities, suffer acutely under such harsh conditions. They urgently need warm shelter and medical care, both of which are virtually non-existent across most displacement sites.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCivil defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal warned of the dangers facing these vulnerable groups as they continue to live in tents that provide little protection from the cold and damp conditions, while the risk of disease outbreaks is increasing amid worsening environmental contamination.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEmergency sector officials said Gaza needs approximately 200,000 tents, along with mobile homes, heating supplies and waterproofing materials, to provide hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians with even the most basic level of shelter.","content_html":"<p>As a result, hundreds of thousands of displaced families have been left facing a harsh ordeal amid inadequate shelter and severe shortages of resources needed to withstand the winter conditions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Government Media Office (GMO) in Gaza announced on Saturday that around 70,000 tents sheltering displaced people were flooded within just 12 hours of rainfall and winds, estimating the initial direct losses at approximately $3 million.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>GMO said that heavy rains and strong winds also led to the collapse of dozens of walls across the Gaza Strip, leaving several people wounded, some critically, warning that further collapses could occur, particularly involving buildings damaged by Israeli bombardment during the war and now structurally unsafe.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The storm also highlighted the widening gap between Gaza&rsquo;s mounting humanitarian needs and the limited resources available to address them. Civil defense crews reported receiving 2,166 distress calls since the storm began battering the territory on Friday evening, but they were able to respond to only 218.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal reported at a news conference that floodwaters submerged dozens of displacement camps, shelters, and residential areas.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Strained by a sharp shortage of equipment and an overwhelming influx of distress calls, civil defense crews often had to advise affected families remotely instead of reaching them on the ground, Basal said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Vulnerable groups, especially infants, premature babies, the elderly, the sick, and people with disabilities, suffer acutely under such harsh conditions. They urgently need warm shelter and medical care, both of which are virtually non-existent across most displacement sites.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal warned of the dangers facing these vulnerable groups as they continue to live in tents that provide little protection from the cold and damp conditions, while the risk of disease outbreaks is increasing amid worsening environmental contamination.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Emergency sector officials said Gaza needs approximately 200,000 tents, along with mobile homes, heating supplies and waterproofing materials, to provide hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians with even the most basic level of shelter.<\/p>","content_source":"","content_url":"","content_date_start":"2026-11-08 11:50:16","content_date_event":"2026-11-08 11:50:16","content_date_event_start":null,"content_date_event_end":null,"content_show_title_slider":1,"content_date_last_edit":"2026-11-08 11:51:36","content_date_register":"2026-11-08 11:51:36","content_columns":0,"content_show_img":1,"content_show_details":0,"content_show_related_img":0,"content_show_slider":1,"content_comment":1,"content_score":0,"tag_id":0,"score_average":null,"score_count":null,"score_date_last":null,"uid":43,"eid":0,"attach_title":"As a result, hundreds of thousands of displaced families have been left facing a harsh ordeal amid inadequate shelter and severe shortages of resources needed to withstand the winter conditions.\r\n\r\nThe Government Media Office (GMO) in Gaza announced on Sa","attaches":[{"sizes":{"150":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202611\/576369_4152683910_150_100.webp","300":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202611\/576369_4152683910_300_200.webp","400":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202611\/576369_4152683910_400_266.webp","600":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202611\/576369_4152683910_600_399.webp","900":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202611\/576369_4152683910_900_599.webp","1200":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202611\/576369_4152683910_1200_799.webp"},"ext":"jpg","file_media":1,"token":4152683910,"files":{"original":{"url":".\/file\/2\/attach\/202611\/576369_4152683910.jpg","width":1280,"height":852,"size":0}}}]}]]