Union for Justice: Rain and Cold Ravage Tents and Exacerbate the Tragedy of 2 Million Palestinians Amid Relief Restrictions
16/12/2025 – Union for Justice
Hundreds of tents housing thousands of displaced people were flooded, while others were blown away due to heavy rainfall and strong winds in the Gaza Strip. The displaced were forced to spend the night in the open, exposed to severe cold and winds that tore apart what remained of their worn-out tents, rendering them unfit to protect their occupants in such conditions.
The heavy rains that fell across the governorates of the Gaza Strip also worsened the suffering of tens of thousands of citizens whose homes were destroyed by the Israeli war of genocide, amid the impact of a low-pressure weather system striking the Palestinian territories.
This weather system comes at a time when approximately (1.5) million Palestinian displaced persons are living in makeshift tents following the occupation’s destruction of more than 80% of Gaza’s infrastructure during a war that lasted two years and more. Despite the ceasefire agreement, ongoing restrictions on the entry of aid and relief materials—such as new tents, caravans, and heavy equipment—have prevented sufficient improvement in humanitarian conditions. As a result, vast areas were flooded, and several previously damaged buildings collapsed, exposing hundreds of thousands to the risks of flooding and the spread of disease.
Union for Justice documented a number of testimonies provided by displaced persons in the Gaza Strip affected by the low-pressure system. One displaced person said, “A night in the tent was one of the worst winter nights I have ever lived through; the tent turns into a refrigerator at night because of the cold, and we need more than one blanket just to feel a little warmth.”
Another said, “The water came into our tent, and my daughter was killed by the cold, people—no one is looking out for the children; they are dying one by one.” This was stated by the father of the infant Rahaf Abu Jazar, aged (8) months, who died as a result of the severe cold and the flooding of the worn-out tents.
The Government Media Office in Gaza also issued a statement describing the low-pressure system as a “compound humanitarian disaster.” The “Government Media” confirmed that the bodies of (11) martyrs had been recovered, while the search continues for one missing person, as a result of the collapse of buildings previously bombed by the occupation. It also recorded the collapse of at least (14) houses, the complete flooding of more than (27000) tents, and partial or total damage to more than (53000) tents.
It noted that this directly affected more than a quarter of a million displaced persons out of approximately (1.5) million living in primitive shelter conditions. The statement recorded initial losses estimated at around (4) million dollars, including damage to food supplies and relief aid, as well as damage to infrastructure, roads, and water and sewage networks. It affirmed that these damages are the result of occupation policies that prevent the entry of (300000) tents, mobile homes, and caravans, exposing civilians to grave risks.
Union for Justice stresses the necessity of addressing international bodies and human rights organizations to urgently intervene to provide and allow the entry of heavy equipment and essential materials for those affected, and to allow the entry of mobile homes (caravans), as the situation is approaching a humanitarian catastrophe.
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