In brief
Heavy rains that began on Friday evening in Gaza caused widespread flooding and the collapse of makeshift shelters, leaving thousands without homes or basic supplies. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that tents, blankets and other essential materials are nearly exhausted and calls for immediate financial support and eased Israeli restrictions. Humanitarian partners continue to address the crisis amid ongoing airstrikes and limited access to the area.
Heavy rains that began on the evening of 6 November 2026 and continued through the weekend caused widespread flooding in Gaza, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Monday, March 10, 2026. The downpour exposed the fragility of temporary shelters, triggered collapses of damaged buildings, and led to the drowning of an infant and the deaths of three children and two women when a sandy hill collapsed onto their tents. Thousands of families lost their shelters and belongings, OCHA reported, and emergency supplies such as tents, tarpaulins, blankets and clothes are virtually exhausted.
OCHA described the relief effort as “an immediate mobilization to assess people’s needs, distribute emergency supplies, and otherwise support those affected.” The office said that teams pumped out water, improved drainage, reinforced displacement sites with sandbags, repaired shelters where possible, and delivered emergency supplies. However, it added that the teams were working with “far too little equipment and too few shelter materials for the scale of the need.”
In an interview in Ramallah, UN humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory Ramiz Alakbarov said that while rain is a natural phenomenon, the vulnerability of the population is man‑made. He argued that hostilities have devastated homes and essential infrastructure, and that tight Israeli restrictions have limited preparations and access to areas away from the flood‑prone shoreline. Alakbarov called for the urgent lifting of all unnecessary restrictions and delays, including those preventing humanitarian organizations from bringing enough supplies into Gaza.
A key quote from the OCHA statement reads:
Humanitarian partners mobilized immediately to assess people’s needs, distribute emergency supplies and otherwise support those affected.
The OCHA report placed urgency on both financial and operational fronts. Humanitarian funding and Israeli approvals were described as “urgently needed so that enough supplies and machinery can be brought into Gaza, including vacuum trucks, mobile dewatering pumps, engine oil, hoses and heavy machinery.” More than 150,000 tents purchased by humanitarian partners and UN member states were reportedly “outside Gaza ready for dispatch.”
OCHA also noted that airstrikes continued to hit populated areas and caused more casualties, underscoring the dual pressures of conflict and climate that are shaping the humanitarian landscape. A spokesperson for the office said that partners in Gaza reported ongoing challenges, but did not provide further detail on the extent of airstrike incidents.
The heavy rains added a new layer of misery to a humanitarian catastrophe that has persisted for months. Sources close to the situation say the flood damage is compounded by the destruction caused by war, which has left most homes either heavily damaged or completely destroyed. According to a report by Deutsche Welle, “most homes are damaged or destroyed by the war, and the Gaza Strip has become highly vulnerable to the effects of heavy rainfall.”
In addition to the loss of shelter and basic supplies, flooding has disrupted essential services. Several schools and healthcare facilities were badly damaged, and access to clean water has become more difficult. Local authorities have set up temporary relief centers, but resources are strained. The OCHA has also highlighted the need for more advanced equipment, such as dewatering trucks and heavy machinery, to manage the scale of damage and to deepen emergency pathways for aid delivery.
Humanitarian partners have worked across the political divide to support refugees and displaced persons, but Israeli restrictions on supplies and movements continue to hamper aid delivery. The UN has repeatedly called on the Israeli authorities to remove these barriers, especially to allow access for emergency equipment and essential goods. The mood of the UN is that without the removal of these restrictions and additional funding from the international community, relief efforts will be unable to keep pace with the unfolding disaster.
The longer-term response agenda involves not only rescue and immediate relief but also rebuilding of structural resilience. The UN stressed that, while rain is not a political event, the context in which people live has made them susceptible to disaster. OCHA’s staff in Gaza have highlighted that the structural makeup of shelters—primarily tents that cannot withstand moderate storms—makes vulnerable communities a prime target during such events. Strengthening infrastructure, improving early warning systems, and securing adequate shelter stock are identified as essential steps to mitigate future disaster impacts.
As of the latest findings, the humanitarian community is making progress in assessing needs and delivering supplies, but the scale of the crisis is exceeding the material capacity of the relief operation. Funding shortfalls, location constraints, and the continuing conflict present a complex environment for humanitarian action, which the UN authorities believe cannot be solved without systematic support from global donors and an expedited relaxation of Israeli entry restrictions for aid.