Thousands at Risk in Gaza Amid Winter Flooding

Published: 18 November 2025 Tuesday. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

Aid agencies have urgently called on Israel to allow more tents and essential supplies into Gaza after the first heavy winter rains hit the region, raising fears of disease and further suffering. More than a quarter of a million families are in immediate need of emergency shelter, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the NRC, warned: “We are going to lose lives this winter. Children, families will perish.” He criticised delays in the delivery of aid following the US-brokered Israel-Hamas ceasefire on 10 October, describing the situation as a “bureaucratic, military, politicised quagmire” that contradicts humanitarian principles.

With the majority of Gaza’s population displaced by two years of devastating conflict, many families now live in makeshift tents. Recent storms have caused widespread flooding, mixing rainwater with sewage and raising the risk of disease.

Fatima Hamdona, a mother in Gaza City, described her struggle: “My children are already sick and look at what happened to our tent. We don’t have food – the flour got all wet. We’re people who’ve been destroyed. Where do we go? There’s no shelter for us to go to now.”

In Khan Younis, residents like Nihad Shabat reported flooding of their clothes, mattresses, and bedding, leaving families sleeping under temporary sheet shelters. Aid organisations say that only 19,000 tents have reached Gaza since the ceasefire, while 44,000 pallets of aid remain blocked in Egypt, Jordan, and Israel.

A recent UN report found that over 80% of buildings across Gaza have been destroyed, with 92% of structures in Gaza City affected. The NRC leads the Shelter Cluster in Gaza, coordinating about 20 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to respond to urgent needs.

Israel recently introduced a new registration process for aid groups, requiring them to provide lists of local Palestinian staff for security reasons. Aid organisations have stated that data protection laws in donor countries make sharing such information difficult, contributing to delays in critical relief efforts.

Humanitarian agencies are now calling for immediate action to deliver tents, bedding, and essential supplies to protect vulnerable families through the winter months, warning that without rapid intervention, the risk of preventable illness and death remains extremely high.