Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel is not responsible for the worsening conditions faced by Palestinians in tent camps in the Gaza Strip, struck by severe winter floods. According to him, the difficulties in the territory are due to Hamas, not to Israeli restrictions on aid.
The declaration comes after the Peace Council, an body created by the United States as part of President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war between Israel and Hamas and to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction, stated on Monday the 9th that Israel has delayed the entry of winter supplies. For the panel, the delay “exacerbated the consequences of a foreseeable humanitarian challenge.”
In recent days, heavy rains have hit the war-ravaged enclave and damaged tens of thousands of improvised tents. On Sunday the 8th, four people – including three children – died when a large sandstone slab collapsed onto tents during the rains, according to local reports.
Netanyahu said that Hamas continues to refuse to disarm and accused the group of diverting humanitarian aid for military purposes, without presenting evidence. The cease-fire agreement, however, does not condition the entry of tents and other relief items on disarmament. “Hamas alone is responsible for the suffering of the people of Gaza and now cynically exploits that suffering to transfer the blame to Israel once again,” the prime minister said.
The UN humanitarian office said on Sunday that aid organizations have more than 150,000 tents ready to enter Gaza, but Israel has not yet authorised their passage. According to the same source, the country also did not permit the entry of pumps and other equipment needed to drain the floodwaters.
Diplomatic pressure has mounted. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband described the situation in Gaza as “intolerable” and called for an end to “arbitrary restrictions” on assistance. In Washington, Senator Brian Schatz, the leading Democrat on the Senate Foreign Operations Subcommittee, urged Israel to immediately authorize the entry of winter items. “Repairing torn tents, helping people dry off, and providing warmth to children who are freezing is a basic human obligation,” he said on the Senate floor.
Meanwhile, local health authorities reported that two Israeli attacks on Wednesday the 11th killed three people in Gaza City. Shifa Hospital, where the bodies were taken, recorded one death in the morning and two more later in the day.
The Israel Defense Forces said that both attacks targeted “military operatives,” without providing further details.
Although large-scale fighting has diminished since the cease-fire signed in October 2025, Israel continues to launch almost daily attacks on the enclave. Since the agreement, more than 1,600 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, linked to the Hamas-administered government. The agency maintains detailed records and is generally considered reliable by UN agencies and independent experts, though it does not differentiate civilians from militants. Source: Associated Press.
