The Gaza Strip has witnessed yet another humanitarian catastrophe as heavy rains flooded the territory’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, and thousands of tents sheltering displaced Palestinians. Strong winds also tore away hundreds of tents and their contents.
This comes as the region experiences a second weather front in less than a week, following the earlier storm “Byron,” which claimed the lives of 14 Palestinians and damaged 53,000 tents either fully or partially, exacerbating the suffering of civilians already enduring the long-running genocide that has lasted over two years.
Rainwater infiltrated vital departments at Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, particularly the emergency and reception units, rendering them completely inoperative. Al-Shifa, the Strip’s largest hospital, had already suffered massive destruction and deliberate bombings during the occupation’s genocidal assault on Gaza.
Despite efforts by the Ministry of Health to restore parts of the facility over the past two months following the ceasefire agreement entered into force on 10 October 2025, the scale of the damage and severe shortage of resources continue to prevent the hospital from returning to normal operations—especially as the occupation persists in blocking the entry of essential medicines and medical supplies.
Meanwhile, rainwater inundated thousands of tents, and fierce winds caused many of them to collapse, forcing numerous displaced Palestinians to seek temporary shelter amid the ruins of destroyed buildings.
Civil defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal warned that thousands of homes partially damaged by Israeli bombardment are at risk of sudden collapse due to the rain and wind. He stressed that these structures pose an immediate danger to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians left with no refuge.
The previous storm alone caused at least 13 buildings to collapse on their residents as they sought shelter from the rain and cold, resulting in fatalities and injuries.
This situation represents a blatant violation of international law, which guarantees civilian protection during armed conflict, including the rights to life, health, safe shelter, and child protection in times of natural disasters and war.
The occupation’s prevention of basic shelter materials and humanitarian relief from entering the Strip constitutes a breach of its obligations under international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols.
This latest disaster comes amid continued international inaction to hold the occupation accountable for ongoing violations. Meanwhile, Gaza’s civilians face compounded suffering, caught between relentless airstrikes, blockade, and now natural disasters exposing the fragility of infrastructure and lack of civilian protection.
