With every rainfall, Gaza risks losing access to power and healthcare

What the report says

Heavy rainfall in Gaza is worsening already severe living conditions by flooding shelters, damaging household solar systems and putting fragile electricity and healthcare services at further risk, according to Al Jazeera. The report, published from Deir el-Balah on November 13, 2026, describes how displaced families in central and northern Gaza are struggling to keep dry and maintain basic power for lighting, phone charging and medical needs.

One resident, 65-year-old Abu Sajed in Bureij refugee camp, said rainwater soaked his makeshift shelter and damaged his blood glucose monitor and solar equipment. The article also describes Mohammed al-Hour, who uses a damaged building in northern Gaza to help residents charge phones through solar power, but says cloudy weather and leaks make that work increasingly difficult. Al Jazeera reports that local electricity providers are also being affected: the Abu Zayed Electricity Company temporarily suspended services at some branches after water entered facilities and caused equipment failures.

The story places these problems in the wider context of Gaza’s war-damaged infrastructure and siege conditions. Al Jazeera cites a UNICEF estimate that the recent rain affected more than 106,000 people, and says many displaced residents are living in flood-prone areas. It also notes a joint World Bank, UN and EU assessment that a large share of Gaza’s electricity assets have been destroyed or disabled. Health and energy specialists quoted in the report warn that water damage can short-circuit inverters, reduce solar output and endanger hospital equipment in temporary structures.