Drainage systems are failing without fuel and spare parts, leaving water pooled around tents and roads cut off
Severe import restrictions by the Israeli authorities are keeping shelter materials out of Gaza. Aid groups have about 2,800 tents inside Gaza, against a need of roughly 121,000, and no emergency shelter kits that include tools for repair of basic shelter
Shelter materials must be allowed in at scale, and donors should fully fund the winter response before the next storms hit
Amman, Jordan, November 9, 2026 — The season’s first winter storm flooded the tents and shelters of about 26,000 households across Gaza over the weekend, soaking the mattresses, blankets and clothes displaced families rely on to stay warm, according to the UN. At least five people, including children, died on Sunday when a rain-soaked embankment collapsed onto tents south of Deir al-Balah, Gaza’s civil defense service said.
Pumping and drainage systems are failing without fuel, engine oil and spare parts, so water pooled around tents and blocked roads. Much of Gaza’s water, sewage and drainage network was damaged during the war, leaving rainwater trapped around tents and shelters. Dozens of International Rescue Committee (IRC) staff said their tents or already badly damaged homes flooded completely.
“The ceasefire has not brought shelter to the almost 2 million people still displaced in Gaza.” said Bob Kitchen, Vice President for Emergencies at the IRC. “Families in Gaza lost the little they had in a single weekend of rain, and there is little left to replace it. They need tents that can withstand heavy rain, and they need them now. Shelter materials such as tools and fixings for the repair of tents must be allowed into Gaza, so families are not left facing another winter without a dry place to sleep.”
The storm hit a shelter response that was already stretched thin. As of November 1, the shelter cluster, which coordinates shelter aid in Gaza, estimated that families still needed about 121,000 tents, 561,000 tarpaulins, 57,000 emergency shelter kits and 1.7 million mattresses. Aid groups had about 2,800 tents in stock inside Gaza and no emergency shelter kits.
On Saturday night, IRC staff in Gaza described hearing families praying and children crying out over the sound of the rain. “We’ve lost our tents. We don’t even have a dry place to sleep,” said Mona, an IRC staff member in Gaza.
Families now face a fourth winter in tents and damaged buildings. Most tents in Gaza are designed to last around 6 months, but many families are still sheltering in tents from last winter or earlier, leaving them worn, torn and unable to protect people from the elements. Beyond tents, they need materials to repair leaking roofs and dry mattresses and blankets to replace those ruined by floodwater.
The IRC is on the ground in Gaza, working to rehabilitate water infrastructure, maintaining critical water supply, and distributing hygiene kits. The IRC and our partners are providing lifesaving services throughout the oPt, including access to clean water and sanitation, malnutrition screening and referrals, child protection, women’s protection and empowerment, early childhood development, psychosocial interventions, and support for emergency sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs. The IRC continues to address critical humanitarian needs and to adapt its programming to a rapidly changing context.
