In short:
The UN has urged Israel to allow 150,000 tents into flood-hit Gaza.
asserted
UN → urge → Gaza
Israel maintains Hamas has been stealing aid and using it for its own purposes.
asserted
Hamas → maintain → purposes
Palestinians in Gaza are desperately trying to find new ways to prop up flimsy tents and shelters ahead of the long and wet winter, pulling material out of destroyed buildings to reinforce tarpaulins and sheeting.
asserted
Palestinians → try → tarpaulins
Last weekend, the first heavy rains of the season hit the war-ravaged strip, flooding the sprawling tent camps where hundreds of thousands of people live.
asserted
thousands → hit → people
A woman and three children were killed by a collapsing sand bank, according to local health authorities.
uncertain
woman → kill → authorities
The United Nations said more than 40,000 tents had been damaged, leaving more than 200,000 people without safe and dry accommodation.
asserted
tents → say → accommodation
In many instances, floodwaters had mixed with sewage, with much of Gaza's infrastructure destroyed during the war, fuelling concerns of fresh outbreaks of diseases in the overcrowded ramshackle communities.
asserted
much → mix → communities
Sharif Abu Shaar, 45, was among the Palestinians sourcing material like reinforcement bars from damaged buildings in Khan Younis, in an attempt to strengthen existing shelters against storms.
asserted
Shaar → source → storms
"We lived in miserable conditions, with water, wind and rain.
asserted
We → live → water
It was a catastrophe," he told the ABC.
asserted
he → tell → ABC
"When we heard that metal could be salvaged from the rubble of destroyed buildings, we started rebuilding with it.
uncertain
we → hear → it
"Unfortunately, the sheets have holes, allowing rain to seep inside.
asserted
rain → have → holes
We still need to repair them."
Samah Abu Shaar, 40, said the heavy rains were "devastating" for the tent camp where she lives in the Al Mawasi area, closer to the Mediterranean Sea.
"
asserted
she → need → Sea
Water gets into the mattresses and it is frightening.
asserted
it → get → mattresses
The little ones started crying," she told the ABC.
asserted
she → start → ABC
"My daughter tells me that water fell on her while she was sleeping, soaking her clothes, the mattresses and the duvet.
asserted
she → tell → clothes
The situation has enlivened an intense debate between humanitarian agencies, the Israeli government and the US-backed Board of Peace as to who is responsible for the crisis.
asserted
who → enliven → crisis
Gaza is about to enter its fourth winter since the war began and its second since President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire had been imposed.
asserted
ceasefire → enter → winter
Since the ceasefire came into force in October 2025, local health authorities said more than 1,600 Palestinians had been killed and more than 5,800 injured as a result of ongoing Israeli strikes.
asserted
5,800 → come → strikes
Many of them are civilians, including women and children.
asserted
Many → include → women
On Monday, the Board of Peace labelled the situation "an immediate humanitarian emergency", and chastised Israeli authorities and Hamas for having "impeded progress" in improving the situation for civilians living amongst the rubble.
"We have specifically urged the Israeli government to authorise the entry of essential materials for temporary shelter, water and sanitation infrastructure, waste management, drainage and sewage material," it said in a statement.
asserted
it → label → statement
"At the same time, we have repeatedly pressed Hamas to agree to lay down its arms, relinquish governing authority, and fulfil its obligations."
asserted
we → press → obligations
It said the steps being taken by Israeli authorities to fix the situation and prepare for the depths of winter, "remains insufficient" and suggested that had also slowed the process of Hamas laying down its weapons.
"
uncertain
Hamas → say → weapons
We likewise call on Hamas's leadership to abide by its commitments without further delay," the Board of Peace said.
asserted
Board → call → Peace
"Recent military activity in civilian areas and near Israeli positions endangers civilians and undermines the humanitarian progress of the last year."
Israel blamed Hamas for the situation, repeating its claims that Hamas had been stealing aid and using it for its own purposes.
uncertain
Hamas → endanger → purposes
"Hamas has done what it has always done: lie, steal, exploit, and rearm," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office posted on X.
"As long as Hamas remains in power, it will use every dual-use item entering Gaza to entrench its terror regime and expand its military arsenal.
asserted
it → do → arsenal
"Hamas alone is responsible for the suffering of the people of Gaza, and it is now cynically exploiting that suffering to shift blame onto Israel once again."
asserted
it → exploit → Israel
Mr Netanyahu's office insisted more than 91,000 tents had been allowed into Gaza ahead of the winter season, and more than 8,200 trucks carrying items like tarpaulins and blankets had also entered the strip.
asserted
trucks → insist → strip
Demand for shelter is outstripping supply
Allegations have also been raised of Hamas blocking engineers from working on shelter projects in a bid to exacerbate the crisis, after a social media post from one man named Ahmed al-Tallouli said he had been forced by Hamas to stop work.
asserted
he → outstrip → work
The United Nations humanitarian agency OCHA has said there are more than 150,000 tents waiting to be let into Gaza, which have been held up because of Israeli restrictions and funding shortfalls.
asserted
which → say → restrictions
UNICEF's Toby Fricker told the ABC that demand for shelter in Gaza was still outstripping supply.
asserted
demand → tell → supply
"The needs are immense and vast, and for any UNICEF or any agency to provide for everyone, it's such a huge task and undertaking because there are so many needs inside Gaza," he said.
asserted
he → provide → Gaza
"We have been bringing in tents, we have been bringing in tarpaulins, but it's nowhere near enough.
asserted
it → bring → enough
The ceasefire announcement brought some more stability, let's say, for children and families across the Gaza Strip, but what it really needs to do now is deliver on the recovery."
He pointed to work UNICEF was trying to do in restoring sanitation and water supplies being impeded by equipment restrictions.
asserted
UNICEF → bring → restrictions
"There's Sheikh Radwan, which is a stormwater basin; it's meant to hold rainfall so it doesn't flood the local community in Gaza City," he said.
asserted
he → be → City
"Now it's filling up; it's also contaminated with sewage, which could be a huge public health risk for children and families in that area.
uncertain
which → fill → area
"But we don't have the equipment to fix that and to pump the water out quickly enough."
asserted
we → have → water
The Aporia
