UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband Warns Gaza’s Humanitarian Crisis Is Worsening as Floods Hit 70,000 Tents
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has warned that Gaza’s humanitarian crisis is deteriorating after heavy rain and powerful winds flooded tens of thousands of tents, damaged already weakened buildings and caused further deaths among displaced Palestinians.
“The intolerable humanitarian situation in Gaza is getting worse,” Miliband said in a video statement published on November 9.
“Heavy rain and strong winds have resulted in 70,000 tents being affected by flooding, damaged buildings collapsing, and more people losing their lives.”
The storm swept across Gaza beginning November 6, inundating displacement camps where families have spent months living in makeshift shelters. According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, approximately 70,000 tents were flooded within 12 hours.
The United Nations reported that five people, including three children, were killed when a sand embankment collapsed onto tents near Deir al-Balah. An infant was also reported to have drowned.
By November 8, humanitarian organizations had received requests for assistance from more than 26,000 households. The UN said more than 6,000 shelters had been destroyed and another 17,400 damaged.
“One year on from the so-called ceasefire, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains bleak, and the reality on the ground is heartbreaking,” Miliband said.
The October 2025 ceasefire was intended to allow humanitarian relief and reconstruction, but much of Gaza’s population remains displaced. The UN estimates that around 1.4 million people still live in tents or makeshift shelters.
Aid agencies say shortages of replacement tents, blankets and construction equipment have severely limited their ability to respond. UN officials have called for more Israeli approvals to bring essential supplies into the territory.
Miliband pledged that Britain would continue pressing for relief.
“We will not rest until we bring an end to the intolerable suffering in Gaza.”