When it rains, Abdullah Siyam moves his family’s bedding to the one corner of his house in Al-Mughraqa, in central Gaza, where water does not seep through the roof. Bombardment that struck neighbouring homes left cracks in the ceiling, and the family has no alternative. That is the solution,” he told Euronews.
More than 4,000 damaged buildings in Gaza need to be fully or partially demolished, including more than 2,300 still inhabited by nearly 44,000 people, according to preliminary estimates cited in this month's report by the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. As the fourth winter since the war began approaches, families across the Palestinian territory are bracing for the rainy season in cracked houses and worn-out tents. Siyam is not alone in Al-Mughraqa.
His neighbour Mariam Abu Hazein spends rainy days pushing water out of her home before her blankets soak through. She borrowed three from her daughter after her own became waterlogged, then returned them when they dried. Water falls in the rooms and the bathroom.
She has placed containers on the floor to collect it and uses a floor wiper to push it outside. Mohammed Bardawil, from the same area, said he feared facing the upcoming winter with worn-out tarpaulins, which he could not afford to replace. A dome tent went up from 1,300 shekels (€384) to 1,700 shekels (€502).
Ahmed al-Siqali, displaced from Khan Younis, told Euronews by phone that equipping and reinforcing his tent cost him around 1,200 shekels (€355), covering timber for beams and two tarpaulins, a sum he raised with his brother’s help from outside the strip. According to a June assessment cited by the Norwegian Refugee Council, 71% of families surveyed in damaged buildings said they could not afford repair materials. The 2023-2025 Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, which resulted in the deaths of more than 70,000 Palestinians — mostly women and children — has left large parts of the Palestinian territory in ruins.
It also triggered one of the worst humanitarian crises in the region’s recent history, with aid agencies warning of famine conditions and a near-total collapse of the strip's health infrastructure. The danger in some structures goes beyond leaks. On 16 September, the Al-Saada residential building in Gaza City collapsed, killing 21 Palestinians including 12 children and five women.
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