Palestine Faces Escalating Crisis as Settler Attacks Intensify and Gaza Floods Displace Thousands

Palestine Faces Escalating Crisis as Settler Attacks Intensify and Gaza Floods Displace Thousands
————————————
Palestinians across the occupied territories are facing worsening humanitarian and security conditions, as Israeli settler attacks and land seizures escalate in the West Bank while severe winter storms devastate displacement camps in the Gaza Strip.

In Gaza, the first major storm of the season flooded approximately 70,000 tents within 12 hours, killing at least five Palestinians, including four children, according to local authorities. A sand embankment collapsed onto tents in a displacement camp near Deir al-Balah, burying families under sand and debris. Gaza’s Civil Defence reported receiving more than 2,100 emergency calls, while thousands of families lost their already inadequate shelters.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that more than 26,000 households had appealed for assistance following the flooding. It warned that humanitarian stocks of tents, blankets and other essential supplies inside Gaza were nearly exhausted, despite more than 150,000 tents being prepared for delivery outside the territory. Humanitarian organisations have called for urgent access to shelter materials, rescue equipment and reconstruction supplies.

Meanwhile, the West Bank is witnessing escalating settler violence, property seizures and restrictions on Palestinian communities. In the Jericho area, settlers associated with the Nachala organisation occupied eight Palestinian homes, claiming they had purchased the properties. The Palestinian Authority subsequently arrested several suspects over the disputed transaction.

The UN documented 377 settler attacks linked to the olive harvest since September 1, including 64 incidents causing injuries or property damage that week. OCHA says violence and restrictions are preventing farmers from reaching their groves and threatening livelihoods. On November 9, footage showed a settler assaulting a Palestinian woman near Hebron, while Palestinian media reported that settlers burned vehicles and machinery near Beita, south of Nablus.

Separately, the UN said gunfire damaged tents at a displacement site in northern Rafah, reportedly injuring people and forcing an aid organisation to leave during flood-prevention work.