Gaza winter floods expose new humanitarian emergency as 1.4 million people face winter in tents and makeshift shelters
PRESS RELEASE
Action For Humanity is warning that thousands of displaced families need urgent shelter and winter support as its teams continue delivering aid inside Gaza.
A major winter storm has exposed the extreme vulnerability of communities across the territory, with flooding inundating camps, damaging shelters and belongings, and leaving families facing the winter months with inadequate protection.
Around 106,000 people have been directly affected by the heavy rain, while more than 26,000 households had reported damage to their shelters or belongings by 8 November, according to UNICEF and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Source: Al Jazeera, 11 November 2026
An estimated 1.4 million people, around 65% of Gaza's population, were living in tents or makeshift shelters when the storms hit.
Charles Lawley, Director of Marketing, Communications and Advocacy at Action For Humanity, said:
“For families in Gaza, this winter storm is not simply bad weather. When your home is a tent, heavy rain can mean your bedding is soaked, your belongings are damaged and your children have nowhere warm and dry to sleep.
“The scale of need is immense, but one point is incredibly important: humanitarian assistance is reaching people.
“Action For Humanity's teams are already inside Gaza. Our staff are working on the ground, alongside our humanitarian partners, delivering shelter and winter assistance directly to displaced families.
“Our teams are seeing first-hand what families are facing. They need tents, but a tent alone is not enough. Families need blankets, dry bedding, winter protection, food and the basic items that can help them get through the months ahead.
“The world cannot wait for conditions to deteriorate further before responding. Winter is already here.”
The consequences of the storm have extended beyond damage to tents. Al Jazeera has reported overflowing latrines in displacement camps and deaths following a rain-related sandbank collapse in Deir el-Balah, demonstrating the wider risks associated with flooding in areas where infrastructure and emergency-response capacity are severely limited.
Source: Al Jazeera, 11 November 2026
Action For Humanity says the immediate priority must be ensuring families have effective shelter from the weather alongside blankets, winter supplies, food and other essential humanitarian assistance.
Footage from Action For Humanity's teams shows tents and blankets being moved and distributed to displaced families, while testimony gathered during the response describes families previously living in deteriorating shelters where winter rain was entering their tents.
The organisation is urging the international community, institutional donors, humanitarian partners and members of the public to support the rapid expansion of winter assistance before further severe weather arrives.
Lawley added:
“There can be a sense of helplessness when people see what is happening in Gaza. Our message is that there is something people can do.
“Aid can reach families. Our teams are there. Our humanitarian response is continuing.
“Every tent distributed provides another displaced family with shelter. Every blanket provides greater protection against the cold. What we need now is the support to reach many more families, as quickly as possible.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
About Action For Humanity
Action For Humanity is an international humanitarian organisation headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, delivering humanitarian and development programmes to communities affected by conflict, disasters and displacement.
Action For Humanity is currently operating inside Gaza, where its teams are delivering humanitarian assistance to displaced families. Current winter-response activity includes the provision of tents, blankets and other essential assistance.
Current Gaza Winter Situation
Heavy rain has directly affected approximately 106,000 people, according to UNICEF figures reported by Al Jazeera.
More than 26,000 households had reported damage to shelters or other belongings by 8 November, according to OCHA figures cited in the same report.
Approximately 1.4 million people, 65% of Gaza's population, were living in tents or makeshift shelters when the storms struck.
AFH's recent winter response includes a 960-blanket allocation across three displacement camps in Gaza City, supporting 480 displaced households, delivered in partnership with IOM and with the support of EU Humanitarian Aid.
For Interviews and Further Information
Charles Lawley
Director of Marketing, Communications and Advocacy
Action For Humanity
charles.lawley@actionforhumanity.org
+44 7535 415060
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