Media release: Over half a million children in Gaza face El Niño-driven winter flooding, cold and unsafe shelter
Plan International Australia
Thursday 11 November, 2026
Press Release
Over half a million children in Gaza face El Niño-driven winter flooding, cold and unsafe shelter
With children in Gaza facing catastrophic flooding and winter conditions, intensified by a strengthening El Niño weather pattern, Plan International is calling for urgent humanitarian aid, shelter and protection.
An urgent surge in humanitarian relief supplies is essential to address the catastrophic flooding across the Gaza Strip and to prevent further suffering among thousands of children as winter sets in. The flooding comes as the El Niño weather phenomenon, which the UN’s weather agency warns could be the strongest ever recorded, brings heavier rainfall to the region and further weakens buildings already damaged by conflict. Immediate access to shelter, protection and life-saving assistance is critical.
Plan International’s Country Director for the occupied Palestinian territory and Global Humanitarian Director, Dr Unni Krishnan, warns that catastrophic flooding and the onset of winter are compounding the suffering of children already displaced and robbed of their homes, leaving thousands exposed to cold, rising waters and life-threatening conditions.
“We are hearing heartbreaking stories of children trying to fight the floods with nothing but mugs and buckets. Having already endured displacement multiple times due to a brutal war and the trauma of homelessness, children in Gaza are now facing catastrophic floods. There is only so much a child can endure,” said Dr Krishnan.
Catastrophic flooding deepens children’s suffering in Gaza
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), flooding has endangered families living in damaged buildings and flood-prone areas with most displaced families in Gaza forced to shelter in temporary tents, makeshift shelters or damaged buildings, in sites where sanitation has broken down.
As of June 2026, the UN estimated that 82% of all structures in the Gaza Strip had sustained damage and that a staggering 94% of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents needed shelter by August 2026. It has been estimated that over 26,000 households reported damage to their shelters and belongings and appealed for assistance, highlighting the scale of the destruction and the extreme vulnerability of displaced families. With the enclave’s drainage systems heavily damaged by the conflict, aid agencies warn that El Niño-intensified rains could cause further flooding and weaken buildings already made unsafe by the war.
The already dire humanitarian crisis has been exacerbated by restrictions on the entry of essential humanitarian supplies including shelter materials, medical equipment, water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure, and engine oil that are desperately needed to rehabilitate shelter for most displaced families.
Despite the enormous challenges, Plan’s humanitarian partners in Gaza are responding to the disaster by distributing vital supplies of limited stocks such as tents, tarpaulins, health care, clean water and sanitation.
Children and adolescent girls face growing risks
For young people already enduring displacement, catastrophic flooding and the onset of winter bring yet another threat to their safety, dignity and survival.
Children and adolescent girls are expected to face numerous protection risks including separation from their families and caregivers, waterborne and other communicable disease outbreaks, and increased exposure to sexual and gender-based violence.
“It is often children who bear the worst of these circumstances,” said Dr Krishnan. “Children in the Gaza Strip have been stripped of the protection that is essential for any child’s survival. Their ability to survive this flood and winter heavily depends on a rapid surge in relief supplies that will give them a chance to survive yet another brutal winter.
“We must urgently scale up shelter, protection, and life-saving assistance. Unhindered humanitarian access and the lifting of the blockade on humanitarian supplies is imperative. Children cannot be left to face yet another catastrophe alone. We cannot look away.”
Urgent action needed before conditions worsen
The impact of the severe flooding has extended beyond damaged tents and belongings. A large sand embankment near Al Baraka, west of Deir Al-Balah, reportedly collapsed onto tents following heavy rainfall, resulting in the deaths of five people, including women and children.
The flood disaster underscores the additional dangers faced by displaced families living in tents and in areas vulnerable to erosion and collapse. Families have lost their food supplies, including flour, rice, bread, and other essential items, clothing, household belongings, and energy sources. They are facing significant health and financial consequences.
Gaza urgently needs a comprehensive response to tackle floods and El Niño-intensified winter conditions. Vital relief supplies must reach the most vulnerable families without delay.
[ENDS]
Contact: Claire Knox, Senior Manager, Media, PR and Strategic Communications [email protected] OR +61 (0)452326549.
About Plan International
Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion, and discrimination. And it is girls who are most affected. Working together with children, young people, supporters, and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood, and we enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national, and global levels using our reach, experience, and knowledge. For over 85 years, we have rallied other determined optimists to transform the lives of all children in more than 80 countries. We won’t stop until we are all equal. www.plan.org.au