UN Warns Nearly 1 Million Displaced Palestinians in Gaza Face Winter Flooding Threat

By Staff, Agencies

The United Nations has warned that approximately 950,000 displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are at risk of flooding during the winter season, with more than 400,000 living in displacement sites classified as highly vulnerable.

A UN report published Tuesday said 294,250 families across the Strip require shelter assistance, while available supplies remain far below what is needed to address the crisis. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [OCHA], only 18% of families in need have received shelter assistance.

The warning comes as hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians remain in worn-out tents and makeshift shelters, raising fears that heavy rainfall and winter storms will further worsen their already dire living conditions.

In September, Gaza’s Government Media Office warned that more than 60% of displacement tents had deteriorated and required immediate replacement.

Alongside the shelter emergency, the UN report highlighted worsening hunger across the Gaza Strip, as funding shortages force humanitarian organizations to reduce food assistance.

The World Food Program [WFP] announced Monday that it would cut its food assistance in Gaza by approximately one-third, citing a funding requirement of $450 million to maintain its operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank from October 2026 through March 2027.

According to the WFP, the number of people receiving food and cash assistance in Gaza had fallen from 1.6 million to 1.1 million as of October.

Meanwhile, the daily distribution of hot meals dropped from 250,000 to 150,000, further limiting access to essential food supplies for Palestinians struggling to survive under the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

The worsening conditions come as the “Israeli” occupation continues to violate its obligations under the ceasefire agreement that took effect on October 10, 2025.

The agreement includes provisions requiring the opening of border crossings and the entry of agreed quantities of food, humanitarian relief, medical supplies, and shelter materials into the Gaza Strip.

However, continued shortages of essential supplies have left displaced Palestinians increasingly exposed to the approaching winter, with inadequate shelter and diminishing food assistance threatening to deepen the humanitarian emergency.

As the rainy season approaches, hundreds of thousands of families living in fragile tents and makeshift shelters face mounting risks from flooding, severe weather and deteriorating living conditions.

The UN warning underscores the urgent need for increased humanitarian assistance, adequate shelter materials, and sustained food supplies to protect Gaza’s displaced population from the combined threats of winter weather and worsening deprivation.