The latest flooding has exposed the consequences of the Israeli regime’s destruction of Gaza’s sewage and stormwater networks, alongside restrictions on emergency equipment, fuel and humanitarian supplies.

According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, 70,000 tents have been submerged or damaged, affecting approximately 350,000 people. Floodwaters reached nearly 1.5 metres in some displacement camps.

More than 700 kilometres of sewage networks have been destroyed, while Gaza City has lost approximately 2,800 of its 4,800 stormwater drains that existed before the war.

The crisis has overwhelmed emergency services. Gaza’s Civil Defence received more than 2,000 distress calls within 12 hours of the storm but could respond to only 218 because of fuel shortages and equipment breakdowns.

Municipal authorities are also struggling with severe equipment shortages caused by Israel’s military campaign.

“The municipality lost about 85 percent of its fleet of vehicles and heavy equipment during the war, after the Israeli occupation destroyed more than 135 vehicles, mechanisms, and equipment, leaving it with only 15 percent of the total previous fleet,” Husni Muhanna, a spokesman for Gaza City municipality, told Al Jazeera.

He added that six of Gaza City’s eight sewage pumps had been destroyed, leaving drainage capacity at approximately 20 percent.

Meanwhile, Palestinian shop owner Ramadan Rabaa said floodwaters had swept through his premises in western Gaza City, destroying merchandise and causing substantial financial losses. Municipal crews could offer little assistance because of shortages of pumps, bulldozers and water suction trucks.

The municipality has prepared a $1.3 million emergency winter plan, but Israeli restrictions on supplies threaten its implementation.

Gaza also faces an acute shortage of shelter and winter necessities. Ismail al-Thawabta, director general of the Government Media Office, said the enclave needs up to 350,000 tents, 1,500 water pumps, 500 heavy machines and generators.

Additional requirements include 2.2 million winter clothing bags, 5 million heavy blankets and approximately 400,000 heaters for Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.

Mobile homes promised under the October 2025 ceasefire agreement have also been held up at the border, further exposing displaced Palestinians to the harsh winter conditions.