At least 14 Palestinians, including three children, have died following severe storms that battered Gaza over the past 72 hours, according to local health authorities.
Munir Al-Boursh, Director-General of Gaza’s Health Ministry, told CNN that the fatalities were linked to extreme weather conditions that flooded tents and temporary shelters housing displaced residents across the enclave.
Years of conflict have left hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in makeshift shelters after much of Gaza’s infrastructure was destroyed.
Aid groups say the heavy rainfall overwhelmed these camps, forcing residents to wade through sewage, mud and debris.
In a statement on Saturday, humanitarian organisation Oxfam said the deteriorating conditions were a direct result of restrictions on aid deliveries, warning that the lack of adequate shelter had turned severe weather into a deadly threat.
Displaced residents described desperate scenes as floodwaters destroyed their belongings.
One woman, identified as Um Mustafa, said all her food supplies, bedding and clothing were ruined after rainwater flooded her tent overnight.
Authorities in Gaza said tents, temporary shelters and structurally weakened buildings collapsed during the storms, trapping families inside.
An eight-month-old baby, Rahaf, reportedly died from hypothermia, according to her family.
The Hamas-run government media office said more than 27,000 tents were damaged or swept away by floodwaters, affecting at least 250,000 people, describing the situation as a “complex humanitarian disaster.”
Israel and Hamas reached a truce in October, halting the two-year conflict and allowing humanitarian aid to enter Gaza as part of the first phase of the agreement.
However, Oxfam said Israel continues to block essential shelter materials, fuel and water infrastructure, leaving civilians vulnerable to preventable harm.
“When access is denied, storms become deadly,” the group said.
Israel’s aid coordination body, COGAT, rejected the criticism, stating that hundreds of aid trucks enter Gaza daily carrying food, water, fuel, medical supplies and shelter materials.
The agency said nearly 270,000 tents and tarpaulins have been delivered in recent months and that preparations are underway for a broader winter response.
Despite the ceasefire, negotiations over the next phase of the agreement remain stalled, with unresolved issues continuing to complicate humanitarian and political efforts in the region.