Gaza has been hit by severe storms, heavy rains and flooding over the past 24 hours, with refugee camps turning into what some residents are calling “mud pools.” The images — soaked tents, children standing knee-deep in water and families without shelter — are being widely circulated on social media and used by Hamas terrorists to launch a new international pressure campaign against Israel.
In a series of coordinated statements issued by Hamas, its so-called government media office and the civil defense authorities in Gaza, the narrative is clear: Gaza is collapsing under extreme weather, Israel is deliberately blocking humanitarian aid and the international community must intervene immediately. The campaign has been titled “Gaza Is Sinking.”
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Tents blowing in the wind, Hamas exploits the images: 'The conditions are worse than the war'
(Photo: Bashar TALEB / AFP)
In a formal statement, Hamas claimed the humanitarian situation has deteriorated significantly for hundreds of thousands of displaced people after floodwaters destroyed their tents and what little remained of their belongings. The group said many families have been left without shelter from the cold, and called for urgent deliveries of tents, medicine and food.
According to Hamas, Israel is preventing the entry of tents, caravans and other essential humanitarian supplies. Officials in Gaza say at least 250,000 tents and 100,000 caravans are needed — figures that underscore both the scale of the destruction and the intensity of Hamas’ information campaign.
A Gaza civil defense spokesman told Al Jazeera that “entire families drowned in the flooding” and claimed the city of Gaza was “completely submerged within two hours.” He said local authorities are unable to cope with the aftermath and described conditions in displacement camps as “worse than the war itself.”
In a separate statement, Hamas increased its demands to 500,000 tents — a figure offered without explanation of actual shortages or reasons for the delay in their arrival.
A spokesman for Khan Younis municipality said more than 900,000 displaced people are currently living in tents in the coastal Al-Mawasi area, which he described as overcrowded and ill-equipped for winter. With another storm approaching, he warned of a “grave threat to civilian lives” and called for international pressure on Israel.
Officials in Ramallah joined the campaign, urging the United States and Arab states to pressure Israel to allow in caravans and tents “without delay.” A statement said the remaining tents in Gaza are torn, disintegrating and provide no protection from rain or cold.
Israeli security officials say Hamas is escalating its so-called humanitarian campaign now because the visuals of flooded tents, shivering children and strong winds are highly effective in swaying global public opinion. According to defense sources, Hamas is “exploiting the real suffering of civilians” to achieve two key goals: increasing international pressure on Israel to expand aid without military oversight, and improving Hamas’ civilian standing in Gaza after months of war and devastation.
Israel, for its part, says it continues to facilitate aid deliveries in accordance with agreed protocols. Any delays, officials say — if they exist — are the result of necessary security checks designed to prevent Hamas from diverting supplies for military purposes.