Heavy Rainfall Turns Deadly in Gaza as Families Struggle to Survive Another Winter

According to UNICEF, recent heavy rains have affected more than 106,000 people across Gaza, destroying or damaging tents, sanitation facilities and essential household belongings.

Heavy rainfall has brought another tragedy to Gaza, where three children aged four, five and eight died alongside their mother after a dune collapsed onto their tent in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. The incident has exposed the dangerous conditions facing displaced families who have spent years surviving in temporary shelters without adequate protection from severe weather. As winter approaches, thousands of children remain vulnerable to flooding, freezing temperatures and collapsing shelters, raising fears that more lives could be lost.

According to UNICEF, recent heavy rains have affected more than 106,000 people across Gaza, destroying or damaging tents, sanitation facilities and essential household belongings. Around 950,000 displaced residents are living in flood-prone areas, including approximately 400,000 people in locations considered extremely dangerous, nearly half of whom are children. Many families have nowhere safer to relocate, leaving parents struggling to protect their children from rising floodwaters and worsening living conditions.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell warned that the deaths in Deir al-Balah reflected the desperate situation facing families who lack even the most basic protection. An estimated 1.7 million displaced people continue to shelter in tents, temporary structures and damaged buildings as they prepare for their fourth winter under extremely difficult conditions. The combination of unsafe accommodation, broken sanitation systems and limited access to essential supplies has created serious concerns about children's safety and health during the coming months.

Flooding and Broken Sanitation Systems Threaten Public Health

Heavy rainfall has intensified Gaza's existing sanitation emergency, leaving communities exposed to contaminated floodwaters and increasing the possibility of waterborne diseases. None of Gaza's wastewater treatment plants is currently operational, making it extremely difficult to manage sewage and prevent polluted water from spreading through residential areas. Families living in overcrowded temporary settlements face particularly dangerous conditions because damaged drainage systems cannot safely remove accumulating rainwater and wastewater.

In Gaza City, the Sheikh Radwan stormwater basin is approaching a dangerous situation as rainwater mixes with sewage and threatens to overflow into surrounding communities. Only two of the basin's six pumps remain functional, severely reducing its ability to control flooding during periods of heavy rainfall. UNICEF reported that it has sought approval from Israeli authorities for more than a year to bring in the equipment needed to repair the facility, leaving a critical part of the city's drainage infrastructure operating with limited capacity.

Freezing Temperatures Put Newborns and Young Children at Greater Risk

Winter temperatures are creating another danger for children already weakened by displacement, inadequate shelter and limited access to essential healthcare services. During the previous winter, 11 children were reportedly killed by hypothermia, demonstrating how exposure to extreme cold can become fatal when families lack warm clothing, blankets and properly insulated accommodation. Newborn babies are especially vulnerable because they cannot regulate their body temperature as effectively as older children and adults, making prolonged exposure to freezing conditions particularly dangerous.

For families living in damaged tents, even ordinary winter rainfall can soak bedding, destroy clothing and leave children sleeping in cold, damp surroundings. Makeshift shelters provide little protection against strong winds, heavy storms and falling temperatures, forcing parents to confront dangerous conditions without reliable heating or safe alternatives. UNICEF has warned that additional child deaths could occur unless vulnerable families receive adequate shelter and essential winter supplies before conditions deteriorate further.

UNICEF Expands Emergency Relief and Calls for Urgent International Support

UNICEF and humanitarian partners are distributing winter clothing, thermal blankets, tarpaulins and hygiene supplies to families affected by flooding and severe weather. During the past week, the organisation reached at least 10,000 children with winter clothing and thermal blankets, provided temporary shelter materials to families whose tents had flooded, and cleared sewage and stormwater from more than 50 locations. Relief teams are removing blockages from drainage systems and installing sandbags in vulnerable areas to reduce flooding risks and protect displaced communities.

Emergency distributions can provide immediate relief, but UNICEF has stressed that temporary supplies cannot replace functioning water infrastructure, proper sanitation facilities and secure housing. The organisation has urged Israeli authorities to permit the immediate entry of pumps, generators, spare parts and essential repair equipment required to restore damaged facilities, including the Sheikh Radwan stormwater basin and the Sheikh Ejleen Wastewater Treatment Plant. Without these repairs, repeated rainfall could continue to flood settlements with contaminated water and expose children to preventable health emergencies.

UNICEF is calling on the international community to support the entry of life-saving humanitarian equipment and provide urgent financial assistance for its US$97.5 million winter response in Gaza. The requested funding would support emergency measures intended to protect vulnerable families from worsening winter conditions and address urgent humanitarian needs. With hundreds of thousands of children facing dangerous weather, inadequate shelters and damaged sanitation services, access to essential supplies and infrastructure repairs remains critical to preventing further deaths.