How do the people of Gaza face a new chapter of extreme cold?

Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were forced to spend their night outdoors, after the heavy rains accompanying the depression that struck the Strip, on Friday night and the morning of Saturday, November 7, caused thousands of tents to sink and covers and clothes to be damaged, amid international warnings of the worsening humanitarian situation with the onset of winter.

Tens of thousands of Palestinian families inside Gaza are still living in worn out and worn out tents, in light of the continuing displacement crisis resulting from the war that broke out more than three years ago.

The government media office in the Gaza Strip announced, on Saturday, November 7, that about “70,000 tents housing tens of thousands of displaced people” had flooded, within just 12 hours of the start of the depression.

The media office added that heavy rain and winds caused dozens of walls to collapse, resulting in injuries of varying severity in different areas of the Strip, some of which were serious.

In the same context, the Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip warned that “all areas of the Strip are facing a new humanitarian catastrophe” with the start of the first rainy weather depression.

The Civil Defense indicated that it had received 2,166 distress calls since the beginning of the depression, but it was only able to respond to 218 calls, due to the lack of necessary equipment and capabilities.

The Civil Defense appealed to countries around the world to pressure Israel to allow the entry of the necessary equipment and machinery to deal with winter accidents, in addition to tents, plastic sheets, and mobile homes to shelter the displaced.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in a report published on November 6, 2026, revealed a large gap between the needs of the displaced in the Gaza Strip and the supplies available to relief organizations, with the onset of winter.

The office explained that as of November 1, Gazans needed about 121,000 tents, 561,000 plastic tarpaulins, 57,000 emergency shelter kits, as well as 1.7 million sleeping mattresses.

On the other hand, the available stocks within the Strip did not exceed about 2,800 tents, 76,000 plastic tarpaulins, and less than five thousand mattresses, while no emergency shelter kits were available, according to the same report.

The UN office warned that "the lack of funding, the lengthy procedures for purchasing supplies, the restrictions imposed on the entry of aid, and the delay in approvals from the Israeli authorities may lead to a delay in purchasing and shipping these supplies until the second half of the winter."

The office estimated the funding gap needed to meet winter needs at about $186.5 million, out of a total needs estimated at about $267.9 million.

These challenges are exacerbated in light of the damage to rainwater and sewage drainage networks, and the shortage of fuel, spare parts and equipment needed to pump water.

The United Nations has warned that some rainwater and wastewater pumping systems have already begun to malfunction, increasing the risk of flooding of camps, water pollution, and the spread of diseases.

The current situation raises particular concerns for children, especially infants, newborns, and children suffering from chronic diseases or malnutrition.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) had warned that about 84 percent of the population of the Gaza Strip, or more than 1.76 million people, live in overcrowded displacement sites or in damaged housing that is not suitable for protection from weather fluctuations.

UNICEF recalled the death of at least 11 children in the Gaza Strip during the winter of 2025, including infants, as a result of hypothermia, warning against the recurrence of these tragedies. She pointed out that providing timely assistance contributes to preventing such deaths.

“For hundreds of thousands of children, winter is more than just a seasonal hardship; the winter months pose an additional threat to children’s survival, safety and well-being,” said Jonathan Fitch, UNICEF Special Representative in the Palestinian Territories.

UNICEF launched an appeal to provide $97.5 million to protect 540,000 children and their families in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, during the winter season, extending from October 2026 until March 2027.

The organization's plan includes providing winter clothes, thermal blankets and tents, strengthening temporary shelters, removing waste and improving rainwater drainage, to reduce the risks of floods and diseases.

In light of the shortage of shelter materials, some displaced people resort to primitive means to protect their tents from rain and wind, using sand and dirt mounds to reinforce the tents and limit the flow of water into them, in an attempt to protect their families from the repercussions of weather depressions.