Israel Reports Winter Aid Deliveries to Gaza as Flooding Prompts Calls for More Supplies
Israel said winter supplies were entering Gaza on November 9 as humanitarian organizations warned that weekend flooding had left displaced families without adequate shelter and called for additional materials to be allowed into the territory.
The Israeli military and the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, known as COGAT, said they were implementing a winter preparedness plan with international partners. Their announcement followed heavy rain that flooded tent camps across the Gaza Strip.
According to the military’s figures, more than 91,000 tents and over 8,200 trucks carrying tarpaulins, blankets, winter clothing and other supplies had entered Gaza since the plan began. Those totals were presented as cumulative deliveries under the plan, rather than assistance supplied only during the latest storm.
The military also said it was facilitating sanitation projects and medical assistance. It attributed some delays to logistical and funding problems affecting international organizations and raised concerns that certain equipment could be diverted to Hamas. Those explanations represent the Israeli authorities’ account.
The U.S.-backed Board of Peace said the response remained insufficient and urged Israel to authorize essential shelter, drainage, water and sanitation materials. It also criticized Hamas for refusing to disarm and relinquish governing authority, saying those failures complicated efforts to assist civilians.
The International Rescue Committee, citing United Nations information, reported that shelters belonging to approximately 26,000 households flooded during the weekend. Mattresses, blankets and clothing were soaked, while damaged drainage systems left water surrounding tents and blocking roads.
At least five people, including children, died when a rain-soaked embankment collapsed onto tents south of Deir al-Balah on November 8, according to Gaza’s civil defense service as cited by the IRC. The organization said some of its own staff also experienced flooding in their shelters.
The IRC said aid groups had approximately 2,800 tents available inside Gaza against an estimated need of around 121,000. These stock and needs estimates describe a different measure from Israel’s cumulative entry figures and should not be treated as directly comparable totals.
Aid organizations are seeking more durable shelter materials, repair tools and replacement bedding before further storms. Israel’s security restrictions and the scale and speed of humanitarian deliveries remain disputed, while families affected by the flooding face immediate needs for dry shelter, sanitation and essential supplies.
References
The Times of Israel — November 9, 2026
timesofisrael/board-of-peace-warns-israel-to-send-more-winter-aid-to-gaza-as-idf-says-supplies-delivered/
The Times of Israel — November 9, 2026; Israeli military statement
timesofisrael/liveblog_entry/after-storms-sweep-through-tent-camps-in-gaza-idf-says-winter-supplies-entering-war-torn-enclave/
International Rescue Committee — November 9, 2026
rescue/eu/press-release/least-5-dead-26000-households-flooded-people-gaza-face-fourth-winter-tents
