Strong winds and heavy rain battered makeshift shelters housing displaced Palestinian families across the Gaza Strip on Saturday evening, destroying and scattering tents as another polar low-pressure system swept through the besieged enclave, further compounding an already dire humanitarian crisis.

The storm has intensified the suffering of tens of thousands of families whose homes were destroyed by Israeli forces during the two-year genocidal war, leaving them with little more than fragile tents for shelter. Floodwaters inundated makeshift shelters in low-lying areas, while powerful gusts of wind tore through encampments, ripping tents from the ground and forcing families—including young children—into the open amid freezing temperatures.

Emergency responders said many displaced Palestinians were left completely exposed to the elements, with no safe alternative shelter available.

Gaza’s civil defense service described the situation as catastrophic, reporting an overwhelming surge in emergency calls from displaced families affected by the storm.

“Gaza is facing extremely harsh humanitarian conditions,” the civil defense said in a statement. “We are receiving nonstop distress calls from displaced people whose tents could not withstand the fierce winds. Worn-out shelters were torn apart and uprooted, leaving families exposed in the open.”

The service added that many families were unable to properly secure their tents due to gale-force winds and relentless rainfall, highlighting the inadequacy of current shelter conditions.

According to a previous civil defense statement, at least 17 Palestinians, including four children, have died since December as successive weather systems struck the Gaza Strip. The same statement said that around 90 percent of shelters used by displaced people have been flooded, rendering them uninhabitable.

Local authorities renewed urgent appeals to the international community to pressure the Israeli occupation regime to immediately open Gaza’s border crossings to allow the entry of desperately needed humanitarian aid, including tents, shelter materials, fuel, and winter supplies.

Aid agencies have repeatedly warned that Israel’s continued restrictions on the entry of relief materials have left Gaza’s displaced population dangerously vulnerable, particularly during winter storms.

As severe weather continues and basic supplies remain blocked, humanitarian groups warn that the situation in Gaza is rapidly deteriorating, with children, the elderly, and the sick facing life-threatening conditions amid ongoing displacement and deprivation. (ILKHA)