70,000 Gaza Tents Flooded; Health Chief Pleads for Crossings Open
(MENAFN) Munir al-Bursh, director-general of the Gaza Health Ministry, made an urgent plea Sunday for shelter supplies, warning that flooding has left 350,000 displaced Palestinians sleeping in the open.
“Is the world waiting for our children to freeze?” he said, calling for immediate steps to protect children at displacement sites.
Al-Bursh urged authorities to open the crossings so tents and reconstruction materials can enter. He said thousands of tents are waiting at the crossings, but the Israeli army is refusing to allow them into Gaza.
Earlier Sunday, a landslide hit tents housing displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, killing a woman and four children and injuring others, according to the Civil Defense. Rescue crews were still searching for people reported missing.
Heavy rain and strong winds have pounded Gaza since Friday evening. The Government Media Office said 70,000 tents were flooded and dozens of walls previously damaged by Israeli bombardment collapsed within the storm’s first 12 hours.
On Saturday, the Civil Defense reported that entire displacement camps were underwater, with floodwater reaching 1.5 meters in some areas.
The war, which began in October 2023, destroyed homes and infrastructure across Gaza and pushed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into makeshift shelters.
Israeli restrictions on building materials, shelter supplies and reconstruction equipment have persisted despite a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas that took effect on Oct. 10, 2025.
“Is the world waiting for our children to freeze?” he said, calling for immediate steps to protect children at displacement sites.
Al-Bursh urged authorities to open the crossings so tents and reconstruction materials can enter. He said thousands of tents are waiting at the crossings, but the Israeli army is refusing to allow them into Gaza.
Earlier Sunday, a landslide hit tents housing displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, killing a woman and four children and injuring others, according to the Civil Defense. Rescue crews were still searching for people reported missing.
Heavy rain and strong winds have pounded Gaza since Friday evening. The Government Media Office said 70,000 tents were flooded and dozens of walls previously damaged by Israeli bombardment collapsed within the storm’s first 12 hours.
On Saturday, the Civil Defense reported that entire displacement camps were underwater, with floodwater reaching 1.5 meters in some areas.
The war, which began in October 2023, destroyed homes and infrastructure across Gaza and pushed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into makeshift shelters.
Israeli restrictions on building materials, shelter supplies and reconstruction equipment have persisted despite a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas that took effect on Oct. 10, 2025.
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