Israeli attacks have killed at least five Palestinians in Gaza, as the United Nations issued an emergency appeal for waterproof tents to shelter hundreds of thousands of people exposed to flooding caused by heavy rain.
One of the deaths followed an Israeli air attack on Wednesday that killed 38-year-old Mohammed Salem al-Daash in the al-Sabra neighbourhood, south of Gaza City. Other killings were reported in different parts of the territory, spread across the centre and north.
Strikes hit several neighbourhoods and a tent shelter
A Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli forces east of the al-Bureij camp in central Gaza. Another person died in an Israeli drone strike in the al-Nasr neighbourhood, northwest of Gaza City.
Separately, at least two people were killed and several others wounded in a strike on a tent sheltering displaced people in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, north of Gaza City.
A correspondent reporting from Gaza City described the attacks as indiscriminate targeting of civilians. She said people trying to carry on with basic efforts to survive had been killed, including “a man filling up a water tank, [who] was killed in a drone strike”. She also said two brothers from the al-Absi family died while sheltering inside their tent on al-Jalaa Street, adding that nowhere in Gaza was safe.
Flooded tents and stalled aid deliveries
The strikes came as the UN pressed for more tents to be sent into the enclave. Gaza’s Government Media Office said at least 70,000 tents were flooded during weekend rains.
UNICEF said heavy rain had directly affected at least 106,000 people in Gaza in recent days. Thousands of tents for displaced Palestinians were submerged, and latrines were overflowing into camps. Non-governmental organisations and local groups said they lacked the resources and capacity to respond, while Israel continues to restrict the entry of essential aid.
UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters at a media briefing that the situation depended on Israeli cooperation. “Ultimately, we need the Israeli authorities to cooperate with giving the permissions so that we can bring those tents in,” he said, adding that beyond funding, Israeli permits were needed “to get this in”.
Winter supplies held up by government formation
Tom Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said certain countries supporting aid deliveries to Gaza had told the UN that winter supplies would have to wait until an Israeli government was formed. In a statement, Fletcher said foreign ministers had pledged their support but had repeatedly warned that progress would be hard until after Israeli elections. “Now we’re told to wait for the formation of a government,” he said.
Fletcher described this as “not an acceptable excuse”, pointing to international law and the consequences of delays, blockages and funding cuts.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Wednesday that Rome had launched a new emergency initiative worth 5 million euros ($5.5m) to provide immediate assistance to Gaza following the flooding.
Death toll figures cited from medical sources
Medical sources told the Palestinian Wafa news agency on Wednesday that the death toll from the war in Gaza had risen to 74,653 civilians killed since October 7, 2023. The same sources said a further 176,007 Palestinians had been injured in the past three years.
Separate figures in the report put the number of Palestinians killed by Israel since the Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect on October 11, 2025, at 1,622, with 5,878 others injured.
