Winter rain floods Gaza camps as Netanyahu heads for US meeting

Winter rainfall lashed the Gaza Strip implicit the weekend, flooding camps with ankle-deep puddles arsenic Palestinians displaced by 2 years of warfare attempted to enactment adust successful tents frayed by months of use.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travelled for an expected gathering connected Monday (December 29, 2025) with U.S. President Donald Trump successful Florida astir the 2nd signifier of the ceasefire. The archetypal signifier that took effect connected October 10 was meant to bring a surge successful humanitarian assistance for Gaza, including shelter.

Mr. Netanyahu made nary nationalist connection arsenic helium departed.

Nowhere to flight

In the confederate metropolis of Khan Younis, blankets were soaked and clay ovens meant for cooking were swamped. Children wearing flip-flops waded done puddles. Some radical utilized shovels oregon tin cans to region h2o from tents. Others clawed astatine the crushed to pry collapsed shelters from the mud.

"Puddles formed, and determination was a atrocious smell," said Majdoleen Tarabein, displaced from Rafah successful confederate Gaza. "The structure flew away. We bash not cognize what to bash oregon wherever to go." She and household members tried to wring muddy blankets adust by hand.

"When we woke up successful the morning, we recovered that the h2o had entered the tent," said Eman Abu Riziq, besides displaced successful Khan Younis. "These are the mattresses. They are each wholly soaked." She said her household is inactive reeling from her husband's decease little than 2 weeks ago.

"Where are the mediators? We bash not privation food. We bash not privation anything. We are exhausted. We conscionable privation mattresses and covers," said Fatima Abu Omar arsenic she tried to prop up a collapsing shelter.

At slightest 12 people, including a two-week-old infant, person died since December 13 from hypothermia oregon weather-related collapses of war-damaged homes, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, portion of the Hamas-run government.

Emergency workers person warned radical not to enactment successful damaged buildings, due to the fact that they could collapse. But with overmuch of the territory successful rubble, determination are fewer places to flight the rain. In July, the United Nations estimated that astir 80% of buildings successful Gaza person been destroyed oregon damaged.

Since the ceasefire betwixt Israel and Hamas began, 414 radical person been killed and 1,142 wounded successful Gaza, according to the Health Ministry. The wide Palestinian decease toll from the warfare is astatine slightest 71,266. The ministry, which does not separate betwixt militants and civilians successful its count, is staffed by aesculapian professionals and maintains elaborate records viewed arsenic mostly reliable by the planetary community.

The Israel-Hamas warfare began with the Hamas-led onslaught successful confederate Israel connected October 7, 2023 that killed astir 1,200 radical and saw 251 taken hostage.

Aid groups telephone for much assistance

Humanitarian deliveries into Gaza are falling acold abbreviated of the magnitude called for nether the U.S.-brokered ceasefire, according to assistance organisations and an Associated Press investigation of the Israeli military's figures.

The Israeli subject assemblage successful complaint of humanitarian assistance said successful the past week that 4,200 trucks with assistance entered Gaza, positive 8 garbage trucks to assistance with sanitation, arsenic good arsenic tents and wintertime clothing. It refused to elaborate connected the fig of tents. Aid groups person said the request acold outstrips the fig that person entered.

Since the ceasefire began, astir 72,000 tents and 403,000 tarps person entered, according to Shelter Cluster, an planetary conjugation of assistance providers led by the Norwegian Refugee Council.

"People successful Gaza are surviving successful flimsy, waterlogged tents and among ruins," Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the apical UN radical overseeing assistance successful Gaza, wrote connected societal media. "There is thing inevitable astir this. Aid supplies are not being allowed successful astatine the standard required."

Ceasefire's adjacent signifier

Though the ceasefire statement has mostly held, its advancement has slowed.

Israel has said it refuses to determination to the adjacent signifier portion the remains of the last hostage are inactive successful Gaza. Hamas has said the demolition successful Gaza has hampered efforts to find remains.

Challenges successful the adjacent signifier see the deployment of an planetary stabilisation force, a technocratic governing assemblage for Gaza, the disarmament of the Hamas militant radical and further Israeli unit withdrawals from the territory.

Both Israel and Hamas person accused each different of truce violations.