Torrential winter rains have turned Gaza’s sprawling tent cities into lakes of mud and sewage, submerging belongings, collapsing flimsy shelters, and leaving more than 1.9 million displaced Palestinians exposed to freezing temperatures.

Humanitarian organizations operating inside Gaza and across the region are issuing their most urgent warnings yet: without immediate access to shelter, food, and medical supplies, the coming winter could trigger a catastrophe even deadlier than the bombardment itself.

With Israel continuing to obstruct the entry of humanitarian aid despite a formally announced ceasefire, Gaza’s displaced population — now nearly 2 million people, the vast majority women and children — is struggling to survive in mud-filled tents, torn tarps, and makeshift encampments that offer no protection against cold winds and heavy rainfall.

Representatives of leading Humanitarian aid organizations in Türkiye told ILKHA that the situation on the ground is worsening by the hour, describing scenes of “unimaginable helplessness” and warning that even tents — the last refuge for hundreds of thousands — are becoming scarce.

Crossings Remain Closed Despite Ceasefire — “Israel Has Turned Aid Into a Weapon”

Following months of negotiations, a ceasefire arrangement had raised hopes that humanitarian corridors would finally open. Instead, Israel intensified its restrictions.

“Israel is weaponizing aid,” one NGO representative said. “The ceasefire says one thing on paper, but the reality on the ground is that nothing is allowed in unless it suits the occupation.”

Thousands of aid trucks are stuck in Egypt — many of them loaded with food, medicine, tents, blankets, and container homes prepared specifically for Gaza. The bottleneck has created one of the largest humanitarian traffic jams in modern history, according to aid workers stationed in Sinai.

Even when Israel allows a limited number of trucks through, NGO officials emphasize that a majority of them — around 60% — are commercial, not humanitarian relief.

“It is a cruel manipulation of statistics,” said Hak Humanitarian Aid Association President Ali Gür. “Israel tells the world it is allowing aid, but in reality it is allowing business.”

“Tents Are Running Out — Gaza Needs Everything”

Speaking from Türkiye, The president of  Hope Caravan Foundation (Umut Kervanı Vakfı) Cengiz Kurtaran said the supply of tents inside Gaza is already critically low.

“We reject the question, ‘What does Gaza need?’ because Gaza needs everything,” he said.

“Shelter is the most urgent. People are sleeping in the open. Babies, toddlers, the elderly — they have nothing but a cold plastic sheet to shield them from the rain.”

Teams from Hope Caravan inside Gaza reported that recent downpours turned camps into swamps. Mothers tried to lift their children off the ground as water poured into tents, drenching mattresses, blankets, and food supplies.

Kurtaran added that the NGO had prepared thousands of container homes after the ceasefire agreement in January, but Israel’s renewed blockade in March halted all movement.

“Even containers sitting at Turkish earthquake sites could be used, but Israel will not allow them in,” he explained. “We need Egypt and the international community to insist on opening the crossings. Containers are the only durable shelter solution before winter deepens.”

 

Education Collapse, Disease Outbreaks, and the Mental Trauma of Displacement

Aid groups warn that Gaza’s social fabric is collapsing under the combined weight of homelessness, hunger, and constant trauma.

Many of the makeshift tent clusters lack schools, forcing a generation of children into prolonged educational paralysis. NGOs attempting to build tent cities with classrooms and safe spaces for children face constant border restrictions.

Health conditions are similarly dire. The near-destruction of Gaza’s hospitals — over 80% of medical facilities have been damaged or destroyed — has left diseases spreading rapidly.

Water contamination is severe, with many families relying on polluted rainwater or unsafe wells. Diarrheal diseases, respiratory infections, and hepatitis have surged among displaced children.

IHH Deputy President Mustafa Özbek emphasized that the humanitarian health system has completely collapsed: “Since last Ramadan, Israel has severely restricted aid. People are dying from hunger. Patients cannot reach hospitals. Gaza is in a state of total medical breakdown.”

NGO Teams Continue Working Despite Attacks and Losses

Despite Israeli surveillance and bombing, NGO workers continue their missions. IHH maintains one of the largest field operations in Gaza, operating 13 field kitchens that prepare 170,000 meals daily, even as staff work under life-threatening conditions.

“We lost 16 humanitarian workers,” Özbek said quietly. “They were distributing food, not fighting anyone. But despite everything, our teams never stopped.”

IHH currently employs 155 active staff in Gaza, focusing on food distribution, tent construction, water supply, and basic medical support.

“700 Aid Trucks Must Enter Daily — Israel Allows Almost None”

Humanitarian logistics experts say Gaza requires a minimum of 600–700 aid trucks per day to prevent starvation and disease. At present, Israel allows only a fraction of that — sometimes fewer than 50 trucks per day — leaving the population on the brink of famine.

The UN has repeatedly warned that famine conditions in Gaza are “the worst in recent global history,” surpassing even the crises in Yemen and Somalia.

Aid workers say Israel’s systematic obstruction is deliberate.

“If Israel can count calories in Gaza, it can also count tents,” one NGO official remarked bitterly, referencing leaked Israeli documents showing a calculated policy of limiting food intake to Gaza civilians.

“Gaza Shows Who Is Right and Who Is Wrong” — Global Public Opinion Shifting

Despite political paralysis at the global level, NGO leaders say public opinion worldwide has shifted dramatically in favor of Gaza.

Ali Gür noted that large pro-Gaza demonstrations in Western capitals — once unthinkable — reflect a global awakening.

“If a Muslim can be elected mayor in New York, if 60% of the American public now supports Gaza, this is not a coincidence,” he said.

“Gaza has opened the eyes of the world. People now see who is oppressor and who is oppressed.”

He added that the moral clarity of Gaza’s struggle has begun reshaping politics across the globe, with long-term consequences yet to unfold.

“A Genocide Before the Eyes of the World” — Two Years of Systematic Destruction

The NGOs emphasized that Israel’s assault on Gaza has now entered its second year, with devastation comparable to — or worse than — the destruction witnessed in Aleppo, Grozny, and Mosul.

Nearly 70,000 Palestinians have been killed, the majority women and children.

Entire cities have been flattened.

Hospitals, mosques, schools, universities, and water systems have been deliberately targeted.

“This is not a war,” Özbek said. “It is a genocide. And it has been carried out openly before the entire world.”

Winter Approaches — “Every Hour Matters Now”

Heavy rainfall in recent weeks caused tents to collapse or wash away, soaking children and leaving families exposed to cold winds. Aid workers say that without immediate shelter assistance, winter storms will turn Gaza’s tent settlements into death traps.

“We need tents, blankets, containers — anything that can protect people from the cold,” Kurtaran said.

“Every hour matters. The crossings must open now.”

NGOs warn that unless the international community takes decisive action, the humanitarian catastrophe could escalate beyond repair.

“Gaza is standing because the ummah is standing,” Gür said. “But the world must act. Gaza cannot wait any longer.” (ILKHA)