“Here in Gaza, we no longer pray for the rain to come! We pray that it won’t destroy what is left!” says an Islamic Relief aid worker in Gaza, where heavy winter rains have flooded many tents this weekend.

Families already faced ongoing attacks, shortages of essential items, and danger but winter’s arrival means even greater hardship, particularly for the many facing the cold, wet weather in tents and makeshift shelters.

Islamic Relief aid worker Layla* describes the dire conditions on the ground today.

Winter brings fear for families in Gaza

With winter on the doorstep in Gaza, we should be happy. This is supposed to be a season of joy and comfort; the cosy weather that relieves a heavy heart.

Hearing water pattering on doors and windows, feeling the water drops on your face, going straight through your soul. Just saying it and thinking of it gives you a weird feeling of comfort.

But here in Gaza, it is not like a normal winter.

Floods, tears, sunken tents, and displacement can’t give you a sense of comfort or joy. It gives you fear.

Layla*, an Islamic Relief aid worker in Gaza.

[We have a] fear of winter, of floods, of where to go! How to save what has remained from your past life. How to protect your kids.

Even our clothes are wet. We lost the feeling of being happy about the winter season and about the rain.

In the past, we enjoyed the rain, gathering with family and friends under a warm roof. Now, we can’t gather anymore. Everyone is just running to protect what they can, to try to save their shelter from flooding.

Seeing people in hard and miserable conditions makes our hearts ache as all of Gaza is drowning. We don’t deserve to live in a cold nightmare like this.

Heavy rain adds to Gaza’s humanitarian crisis

Yesterday, I went out in the rain to see a doctor. I grabbed my phone, wanting to capture the winter vibes, the rain… and then I closed my phone, I couldn’t bear the suffering of people trying to save their tents and their belongings from the water. How strange is that? Me! The one who used to capture every single winter drop that fell from the sky!

For you, your heart might hurt from seeing on social media and news outlets the rubble and the destroyed houses collapsing.

But for me, and for the other people who are living it here in Gaza, every stone that falls, every wall, every shelf, every raindrop destroys what is left in our souls. How could it not, when those shelves held our memories, our warmth, and the pieces of who we used to be? And this is not just one family’s pain; it is a massive humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in front of our eyes.

According to recent UN assessments, nearly 1.98 million people — about 94% of Gaza’s population — are in urgent need of shelter, with around 950,000 displaced Palestinians living in sites facing medium to high flood risks.

In just the first day of this rainstorm, local emergency reports confirmed that around 70,000 worn-out tents sheltering tens of thousands of displaced families were flooded, while dozens of cracked walls and roofs collapsed on those seeking cover.

Behind every single one of those numbers is a family shivering in the mud, watching the rain wash away the very last pieces of their dignity and safety.

Hoping for the rain to pass

Yesterday’s rain didn’t wash away our pain; it just made the rubble heavier and the cold deeper.

Layla*, an Islamic Relief aid worker in Gaza.

We look up at the grey sky, not wishing for a cosy afternoon or a warm cup of coffee by the window anymore. We just wish for the clouds to pass gently, for the ground to dry, and for the day when the rain in Gaza becomes just rain again – not another storm we have to survive.

Despite immense challenges, Islamic Relief staff and partners in Gaza continue to deliver lifesaving aid, adapting every day to dangerous conditions, displacement, loss and severe shortages. Your generosity is a vital lifeline. Please continue to stand with the people of Gaza.