Tens of thousands of displaced people in Gaza face cold after thousands of tents drown

According to what was published by BBC News Arabic, tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were forced to spend their night in the open, after the heavy rains accompanying the air depression that hit the Gaza Strip on Friday night and Saturday morning, November 7, led to the sinking of thousands of tents and damage to blankets and clothes.

The government media office in the sector announced that about 70,000 tents housing tens of thousands of displaced people were sunk within only 12 hours of the start of the depression. Rain and wind caused dozens of walls to collapse, he added. This led to injuries of varying severity in different areas, some of them serious.

The civil defense in the sector warned that all areas of the sector are facing a new humanitarian disaster. He indicated that he had received 2,166 distress calls since the start of the depression, of which he was only able to respond to 218 due to a lack of equipment and capabilities. He appealed to the countries of the world to pressure Israel to allow the entry of equipment, tents, blankets and mobile homes.

In a report published on 6 November 2026, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed a significant gap between the needs of the displaced and the available supplies. As of November 1, the sector needed about 121,000 tents and 1.7 million beds, while inventories did not exceed about 2,800 tents and less than 5,000 beds. The Office estimated the funding gap needed to meet winter needs at $186.5 million.

The office warned that lack of funding, lengthy procurement procedures, restrictions on the entry of aid and delayed approvals from Israeli authorities could delay the arrival of supplies until the second half of winter. UNICEF also launched an appeal for $97.5 million to protect 540,000 children and their families in the Gaza Strip and West Bank between October 2026 and March 2027.

Source: BBC News Arabic - https://www.bbc.com/arabic/articles/cmlyk50v1v0yo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss