Category World News

Authorities in Gaza have warned that stormy weather could spur more war-damaged buildings to collapse and heavy rains are making it more difficult to recover bodies still under the rubble.

Authorities sounded the alarm on Monday, three days after two buildings collapsed in Gaza, killing at least 12 people, during winter rains that have also washed away and flooded the tents of displaced Palestinians and led to deaths from exposure.

A ceasefire has been in effect since October 10 after two years of Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza, but humanitarian agencies said Israel is letting very little aid into the enclave, where nearly the entire population has been displaced.

Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abou Azzoum said despite a shortage of equipment and fuel and the weather conditions in the enclave, Palestinian Civil Defence teams retrieved the bodies of 20 people on Monday.

The bodies were recovered from a multistorey building bombed in December 2023 where about 60 people, including 30 children, were believed to be sheltering.

Gaza Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal called on the international community to provide mobile homes and caravans for displaced Palestinians rather than tents.

“If people are not protected today, we will witness more victims, more killing of people, children, women, entire families inside these buildings,” he said.

Father mourns children killed in building collapse

Mohammad Nassar and his family were living in a six-storey building that was badly damaged by Israeli strikes earlier in the war and collapsed in heavy rain on Friday.

His family had struggled to find alternative accommodation and had been flooded out while living in a tent during a previous bout of bad weather. Nassar went out to buy some necessities on Friday and returned to a scene of carnage as rescue workers struggled to pull bodies from the rubble.

“I saw my son’s hand sticking out from under the ground. It was the scene that affected me the most. My son under the ground and we are unable to get him out,” Nassar said. His son, 15, died as did a daughter, aged 18.

Exposure warning

The head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees warned on Monday that more aid must be allowed into Gaza without delay to prevent putting more displaced families at serious risk.

“With heavy rain and cold brought in by Storm Byron [late last week], people in the Gaza Strip are freezing to death,” UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini posted on X.

“The waterlogged ruins where they are sheltering are collapsing, causing even more exposure to cold,” he added.

Lazzarini said UNRWA has supplies that have waited for months to enter Gaza that he said would cover the needs of hundreds of thousands of Gaza’s more than two million people.

UN and Palestinian officials said at least 300,000 new tents are urgently needed for the roughly 1.5 million people still displaced. Most existing shelters are worn out or made of thin plastic and cloth sheeting.

Gaza authorities, meanwhile, were still digging to recover about 9,000 bodies they estimated remain buried in rubble from Israeli bombing during the war, but the lack of machinery is slowing down the process, spokesman Ismail al-Thawabta said.

Azzoum reported that Civil Defence teams said they require a surge in heavy machinery to expedite the work.

“They are saying that they are still in need, initially, for 40 excavators and bulldozers in order to achieve some slight progress in the whole process on the ground,” Azzoum said, reporting from Gaza City.

Israel’s continuing ban on the entry of heavy machinery into the Gaza Strip is a violation of the ceasefire, he added.

Earlier on Sunday, Hamas said Israel’s continuing violations of the ceasefire risk jeopardising the agreement and progress towards the next stage of United States President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war.

Since the ceasefire began, Israel has continued to strike Gaza on a daily basis, carrying out nearly 800 attacks and killing nearly 400 people, according to authorities in Gaza, while blocking the free flow of humanitarian aid.

This week is shaping up to be crucial for the European Union’s policy on Ukraine. EU foreign ministers met in Brussels on Monday; EU heads of state will gather on Thursday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is meeting United States envoy Steve Witkoff. At the top of the agenda is the peace plan put forward by US President Donald Trump and continuing funding for Ukraine’s war effort.

The European strategy so far has been to alter the US-proposed peace plan in such a way that it becomes completely unacceptable to Russia. This, as European leaders hope, will reinforce the core narrative emanating from their capitals over the past two months – that Russian President Vladimir Putin is just playing games and doesn’t really want peace.

The idea behind it is to try to sway Trump to their side and have him apply additional military and economic pressure on the Kremlin rather than pressing Ukraine into signing an unsavoury peace deal right away. But this effort could easily backfire.

The main practical issue with regards to Ukraine’s capacity to withstand Russian aggression during 2026 is who is going to fund its army as well as its state and social welfare system. Trump proudly states that the US is no longer financing Ukraine’s war effort because, in his parlance, it is “Biden’s war” – ie, his predecessor Joe Biden is to blame.

The burden of funding is now squarely on Europe – the EU and rich non-EU countries, such as the United Kingdom and Norway. The US keeps providing weapons to Ukraine, but these are being paid for with money from European coffers. US intelligence support, crucial in Ukraine’s war planning, is currently available to Kyiv for free.

European leaders have been vocal and aggressive throughout the year in rejecting any realistic compromise that could end the war. But even as 2025 is ending, there is no clarity as to how they are going to back up their jingoistic rhetoric with sufficient funding that would allow Ukraine not just to stay afloat but tip the balance in the conflict in its favour.

Their plan A is what they call the reparations loan. It envisages using the assets of the Russian Central Bank frozen by European banks to fund the Ukrainian defence. This means that rather than spending the money on actual reparations – as in Ukraine’s post-war restoration – it would be spent on the war itself.

The thinking behind this plan is that once Russia suffers a strategic defeat, it would retroactively agree to the confiscation rather than demand its money back, so European governments would not have to reach into their coffers to return the money to the Russians.

The obvious problem here is that exactly nobody – except war cheerleaders who have been promising Russia’s defeat for the past four years – believes this outcome is even remotely realistic. Belgium, which holds the bulk of these assets, is equally sceptical, which is why it opposes this plan. It has been joined by a growing number of EU states, including the Czech Republic and Italy.

The other big problem is that Trump’s peace plan has radically different designs for the assets in question. It envisages using them as actual reparations, as in spending them on restoring Ukraine’s economy. Most crucially, Moscow has on numerous occasions signalled that it agrees with this part of the plan. It considers the money lost and wants to make sure neighbouring Ukraine does not turn into a failed state.

This means that if the reparations loan plan goes ahead, it would undermine the most attractive provision of Trump’s plan. If this happens, the US and the EU may find themselves more at odds with each other than they already are, and that would hardly sway Trump.

His administration has indicated on a number of occasions that it could walk out of the peace process if it is derailed, which means ending any help to Ukraine, be it with weapons or intelligence.

The reparations loan plan also comes with an enormous risk for the European economy. The confiscation of Russian assets would discourage any central bank in the world from keeping its money in Europe, meaning the European banking system stands to lose.

More importantly, this move cannot guarantee that Ukraine would be able to stop Russia’s slow but steady advancement. Securing funding for another year under the current circumstances basically means that more Ukrainian lives and territory will be lost in 2026.

This money cannot in effect counter the biggest threat to Ukraine and its neighbours right now: that of Russia precipitating a humanitarian catastrophe that could spill over into the region by devastating Ukraine’s energy infrastructure this winter. The latest blackout in Odesa when the whole city was left without water and heating in the middle of winter is a dark prelude of things to come.

All this warrants the question of why European leaders are acting the way they are now. Could their irrational radicalism be explained by their extensive political investment in delusional outcomes of this war that they have been selling to voters for the past four years? Or are they engaging in incessant moral posturing so as to avoid being scapegoated for the real outcome of the war?

There is probably a bit of both. But there is perhaps also an even more sinister motive, recently expressed by Wolfgang Ischinger, chairman of the Munich Security Conference: the idea that “as long as this war is being fought, … Europe is safe because the Ukrainians have successfully tied down this mighty Russian army.” In other words, there are some within the European political elite who perceive ending the war as being against European interests.

But regardless of what those on top think or are motivated by, the war fatigue in Europe is real. The rise of pro-Russia far-right groups in Germany and elsewhere, capitalising on the ruling elites’ shining ineptitude in handling the conflict with Russia, is a clear sign of that.

If the reparations loan scheme does not pass this week, the EU would have to go to plan B, which envisages loaning money from the EU budget. That, of course, would be met with fierce opposition from the European public.

The failure to secure funding for Ukraine may be seen as an embarrassing failure in Europe, but it would make things easier for Zelenskyy. With his administration losing popularity amid continuing military upsets and a major corruption scandal, Ukraine’s president is well on his way to becoming the chief scapegoat in this debacle.

But no more funding from Europe would allow him to declare that the West has betrayed Ukraine and proceed with the inevitable: accepting an unsavoury peace largely on Russia’s terms.

Storms in Gaza have caused war-damaged buildings to collapse, killing civilians and leaving many Palestinians afraid to stay in their homes. With tents offering little protection, residents say rain now brings fear instead of relief.

The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip deteriorated sharply late last week during Storm Byron, which brought heavy rainfall and strong winds.

Widely circulated video on social media showed Palestinian Civil Defence teams scrabbling through the rubble of fallen buildings, trying to rescue people trapped beneath.

But why did those homes fall? And what has the impact been on people in Gaza? Here’s what we know:

What is happening in Gaza?

Many damaged homes in Gaza collapsed during the recent storm, trapping people in their rubble.

At times, parts of buildings and walls fell onto nearby tents where displaced Palestinians were living, compounding the risks for civilians already enduring precarious conditions.

Thousands of Gaza families are sheltering in structurally compromised buildings, having lost their own homes during the war, with no safe alternatives available.

The heavy rainfall of Storm Byron turned these weakened structures into direct threats as floodwaters inundated tens of thousands of tents.

Why are these houses falling?

It’s not just the rain that caused the collapses, rather it is because two years of intense bombing during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza have made these structures unstable.

In addition, Israel has imposed a siege on Gaza that prevents the entry of any building materials people can use to fix their homes.

Thousands of residential buildings were damaged by direct strikes, nearby bombardments and ground incursions, leaving cracks in columns and foundations, separation of load-bearing walls and partial roof collapses.

People with nowhere to go have little choice other than to shelter wherever they can, including in homes that are only partially standing.

Heavy rain exacerbates the damage. Water seeps into cracks, weakening foundations and columns while saturated soil erodes beneath buildings, increasing the risk of sudden collapses.

Overcrowding inside damaged homes further stresses weakened structures as multiple families are often forced to live together in a single house or floor.

In many cases, displaced residents pitch tents next to or even on top of the ruins of damaged buildings, exposing themselves to falling walls and concrete blocks during storms.

Displaced people often cannot leave, even when they know the risks. Often, they have no other option, or they see damaged homes as better shelter than deteriorating tents.

In late September, Gaza’s Government Media Office estimated that 93 percent of tents (about 125,000 out of 135,000) were no longer suitable for habitation.

How many people have been hurt or killed by these collapsing homes?

The recent storm killed 11 Palestinians in less than 24 hours and caused widespread structural damage.

According to the Government Media Office, 13 homes collapsed and 27,000 tents were flooded or swept away.

Civil Defence and Ministry of Health sources said the 11 victims were found dead under rubble in collapsed homes or in nearby tents. Another six were injured.

Fatalities included children, women and elderly people, and officials confirmed a baby girl died from extreme cold. Incidents were reported in Gaza City, northern Gaza, and central and southern areas of the Gaza Strip.

Collapses occurred in Gaza City’s Nassr neighbourhood, Shati refugee camp and Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood.

One man was killed when a wall collapsed in the Shati camp.

During the storm, the Civil Defence received more than 2,500 distress calls from displaced people.

Authorities warned that the death toll is likely to rise as further low-pressure systems and rainfall continue to cause homes to collapse.

Has there been any help for these impacted people?

Because of the conditions imposed by Israel, the emergency response has been limited.

Civil Defence teams struggled to evacuate those trapped under rubble because they face a shortage of heavy machinery, rescue equipment and fuel as well as flooded roads.

The Civil Defence has urged residents to get out of damaged homes during the storms.

Authorities stressed that the continuation of Israel’s blockade increases the likelihood of similar incidents during future storms.

Authorities have not been able to provide alternative shelters or habitable tents for unhoused families.

In some areas, aid has been limited to small distributions of blankets and basic relief items that are insufficient to meet the needs of Palestinians facing falling temperatures and widespread infrastructure damage.

Municipalities have been unable to carry out preventive drainage or repair work due to the destroyed infrastructure and a lack of resources, so the people of Gaza remain vulnerable to future storms.

Is there anything that people in Gaza can do to stay safe?

Unfortunately, options are extremely limited or nonexistent.

Thousands of people are unable to relocate due to the absence of safe housing or shelters.

There are also restrictions on movement imposed by the “yellow line” demarcating the portion of Gaza under Israeli army control. People in at-risk areas cannot move to safer locations.

On top of that, people lack tools for structural reinforcement, waterproofing or heating.

People can take only minimal measures, such as moving children to more stable areas, using blankets or raising their belongings off the ground, but these do not prevent collapses or flooding.

UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, said the suffering could be reduced if humanitarian aid were allowed to enter Gaza without obstacles.

It said flooded streets and soaked tents are worsening already dire living conditions and increasing health risks.