Heavy rains and flooding are adding a new layer of suffering for Gaza's displaced population, inundating their already precarious shelters and creating a desperate health crisis as Israel's blockade continues to prevent adequate shelter materials and aid from reaching those in need. The storm, named Byron, has flooded at least 27,000 tents, caused buildings to collapse, and killed at least a dozen people, including an eight-month-old baby girl who died from exposure in a soaked tent.
The widespread vulnerability to the storm is a direct outcome of months of destruction. According to Gaza's municipal officials, Israel destroyed hundreds of essential vehicles, including bulldozers and water pumps, during its military campaign, crippling the ability to manage the flooding. Despite the ceasefire, Israel continues to block critical supplies. Materials to reinforce shelters, like timber, plywood, sandbags, and pumps, have been delayed from entering, and the UN reports that 4,000 pallets of shelter materials like tents and winter clothing have been completely rejected at crossings. The Israeli agency COGAT claims it is meeting obligations and blames aid agencies for inefficiency, an accusation aid groups deny. This failure occurs while, according to the Associated Press, aid deliveries are averaging only 459 trucks per day, far short of the 600 per day stipulated in the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement.
For the 1.5 million displaced Palestinians living under plastic sheets and tarps, the storm is a fight for basic survival. Families describe nights spent standing to avoid floodwaters, with tents collapsing or belongings washed away. "Our food is ruined," said 50-year-old Youssef Tawtah, who was futilely trying to bail water from his family's tent with a bucket. With no drainage, ankle-deep water contaminated with sewage and garbage pools around shelters, soaking the few possessions families have left. The UN's International Organization for Migration warns that nearly 795,000 people are at high risk from flooding in low-lying, debris-filled areas. The psychological toll is immense. As one displaced man, Wissam Naser, said, "We are exhausted... We have no strength left. Every day there is a new fear: hunger, cold, disease, now the storm".
The flooding is accelerating a severe public health disaster. The mixing of rainwater with massive pools of untreated sewage and solid waste, estimated at 1,200 tons generated daily is creating rivers of contamination. The World Health Organization warns this drastically increases the risk of disease outbreaks. This environmental devastation compounds a pre-existing crisis; a WHO report notes that 97% of Gaza's groundwater was already unfit for human consumption before the war, and none of the wastewater treatment plants are now operational. The destruction has also released toxic hazards into the environment. Over 25,000 tons of explosives used have created 39 million tons of debris containing asbestos and unexploded ordnance, posing immediate dangers and long-term risks of heavy metal pollution linked to birth defects and chronic diseases.
Humanitarian workers describe the situation as a "climate war," where environmental devastation is weaponized to make life unsustainable. The blockade on fuel and construction materials prevents any meaningful recovery or preparation for winter. Gaza City's mayor has stated the city is unable to cope due to the destruction of infrastructure and lack of resources. While international agencies scramble, their capacity is a "drop in the ocean" compared to the need. The U.N. stresses that at least 300,000 new tents are urgently needed but cannot be supplied. For Gaza's families, survival now depends on grim endurance and community solidarity, as they hold tent poles against the wind and pray for mercy from the skies, trapped between a ruined earth and a hostile sky.