Gaza’s mass suffering spirals as Israeli blockade starves winter aid

Gaza’s Government Media Office warned on Thursday that the Strip is on the brink of a full-scale humanitarian collapse, with 1.5 million displaced Palestinians trapped in makeshift camps that were never built to withstand the intensifying winter storms battering the Strip.

Director Ismail al-Thawabta described scenes of mass suffering and total abandonment, saying that hundreds of thousands of families are struggling to survive “in worn-out tents shredded by genocide and relentless weather.” He stressed that conditions are deteriorating “at a terrifying pace” as freezing temperatures, heavy rains, and flooding sweep across Gaza, turning displacement sites into uninhabitable swamps.

Despite an announced ceasefire more than two months ago, al-Thawabta said the blockade continues to suffocate the territory. Gaza urgently requires 300,000 new tents, yet Israeli restrictions have allowed only 20,000 to enter, an amount he called “absurdly insufficient” for a population living entirely outdoors. Previous storms have already “flooded tens of thousands of tents and turned the camps into vast pools of mud and contaminated water,” leaving families exposed to hypothermia, disease, and sewage overflow.

Engineered winter catastrophe
The scale of destruction is staggering: over 22,000 tents have been completely destroyed, stripping families of tarpaulins, insulation, blankets, and any form of shelter. Emergency structures have collapsed, temporary water networks have failed, and rainwater is mixing with sewage, raising the threat of cholera and other waterborne diseases.

Adding to the desperation, at least 10 mobile medical points are offline, crucial supplies remain blocked, and medical teams cannot reach the injured or the sick. “Displaced Palestinians have lost the bare minimum of life’s necessities,” al-Thawabta warned, saying people are left defenseless against the cold, the wind, and the unending downpour, a situation he described as “engineered vulnerability” resulting from the continued siege.

UNRWA issued its own sharp warning, saying that winter rains in Gaza are “bringing new hardships,” with flooded streets and soaked tents “making already dire living conditions even more dangerous.” The agency stressed that “cold, overcrowded, and unsanitary environments heighten the risk of illness and infection,” warning that disease outbreaks could spread rapidly through the densely packed camps.

Hamas: open Rafah and allow shelter materials in
Against this backdrop, Hamas called on mediators and guarantors to pressure the occupation government to allow the entry of shelter materials into Gaza and to reopen the Rafah crossing in both directions. The movement held the enemy fully responsible for the worsening humanitarian disaster, saying that the blockade on shelter materials has pushed Palestinians toward unbearable conditions.

Hamas stressed that suffering is escalating as the occupation evades its obligations under the ceasefire arrangements. Spokesperson Hazem Qassem warned that the new weather front striking Gaza will have devastating consequences, noting that the current tents used to house displaced families “are not suitable to withstand rain or winter cold,” especially as fuel continues to be restricted. Qassem underscored the need to compel the occupation to implement the humanitarian relief protocols set out in the January 2025 agreement, which were reaffirmed again in October 2025.

Storm Byron, the severe weather system currently pounding Gaza, threatens more than 761 displacement sites sheltering around 850,000 people, many located in low-lying or coastal areas where previous storms flooded tents with sewage and solid waste.
A crisis compounded by aid obstruction
Humanitarian organisations say the catastrophe is being directly worsened by “Israel’s” continued restrictions on life-saving supplies. The Norwegian Refugee Council reported this week that, despite the ceasefire, only 15,600 tents have entered Gaza, enough for just 88,000 people, while 1.29 million Palestinians still require shelter. Nearly 4,000 pallets of shelter materials have been rejected, and aid agencies remain unable to bring in heavy machinery and tools needed to reinforce camps before flooding hits.

‘A catastrophe unfolding before the world’s eyes’
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Gaza described an unfolding nightmare: “People are talking about a catastrophe that is already happening, its consequences are clear, driven by the siege and deliberate starvation, all under a powerful winter storm.”

“Every tent touched by rain has been submerged,” the correspondent said, calling the situation “beyond catastrophic, especially in al-Mawasi.”

He added that Gaza’s Civil Defense has been left completely powerless, its equipment destroyed by Israeli attacks, leaving entire communities without rescue capabilities. “Tents were flooded, ripped from the ground by fierce winds, all while artillery fire continues east of Gaza and Khan Younis,” he said.

International law: binding obligations ignored
Human rights experts say this crisis is not simply a humanitarian failure, it is a legal violation. Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, warned that Palestinians are being left “alone, freezing and starving,” and described the ongoing obstruction of aid as part of “the genocide being committed” against them.

Her assessment is backed by international rulings. In an advisory opinion issued in October, the International Court of Justice found that “Israel,” as the occupying power, is legally required to allow rapid, unimpeded humanitarian relief and cannot block shelter equipment, sanitation supplies, winterisation materials, or the means to protect civilians from environmental hazards. Denying such items, the Court stressed, violates the Geneva Conventions.

Yet despite these obligations, and despite a ceasefire supposedly in place, Gaza’s population remains exposed, freezing, and unprotected as storms intensify.