Gaza Flooded and West Bank Under Siege: A Week of Crises for Palestinians

The first major storm of the season has devastated Gaza, flooding approximately 70,000 tents within 12 hours. This extreme weather event resulted in at least five fatalities and an estimated $3 million in damages, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office. The storm, which hit over the weekend, prompted Gaza’s Civil Defence to log over 2,100 distress calls by Monday, with more than 2,000 buildings at risk of collapse. Nearly 400,000 displaced individuals are currently sheltered in areas deemed highly vulnerable.

Compounding the crisis, Israel is reportedly blocking the entry of 60,000 mobile homes and 200,000 tents, permitting only 20,000 tents into Gaza. This is occurring while approximately 85 percent of homes in the Strip have been destroyed or damaged during Israel’s three-year conflict. The Gaza Crossings and Borders Authority stated that Israel allowed no aid trucks or commercial goods on November 6 and 7, with only five trucks of cooking gas entering the following day. The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has noted Israel’s notification on November 1 about suspending shipments from Egypt, leading aid groups to warn that daily cooked meals could decrease from about 600,000 to 330,000.

The Gaza Ministry of Health reported that 20 more Palestinians were killed in the past week, bringing the total toll since the October 2025 “ceasefire” to 1,613 as of November 9. Among the recent deaths were victims of a sand embankment collapse on November 8 near Deir el-Balah, where five bodies were recovered, including Tahrir Nabhan and her daughter Maryam, and Habiba al-Zein. Other fatalities include Rimas al-Madhoun, 16, killed in a strike on a tent in Gaza City on November 3; Noura Sheikh al-Eid, killed by tank fire in al-Mawasi hours after her daughter departed for treatment in Egypt; 12-year-old Adnan al-Qirnawi, shot and killed east of Bureij on the same day; and Nermin al-Amour and Mahmoud Abu Hammad, killed in a Khan Younis strike on November 8.

Amidst these dire conditions, Hamas has urged mediators and the Board of Peace to decouple reconstruction efforts from political or security demands. Simultaneously, a political struggle is unfolding concerning Gaza’s future, with parties representing Palestinian citizens of Israel holding significant influence in Israel’s post-election negotiations. This is occurring against a backdrop of a demonization campaign targeting these parties and Arab voting power within Israel.

President Isaac Herzog has granted opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot the mandate to form a government, following recommendations from 67 members of parliament, compared to 46 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Eisenkot aims to establish a “national emergency government” open to parties that accept four core principles, including recognizing Israel as a “Jewish and democratic” state and designating Hamas as a “terrorist” group to be dismantled. Netanyahu, conversely, is advocating for a “national unity” government with Eisenkot, Likud, and his Haredi and far-right allies, cautioning against a government dependent on Arab-led parties, which he claims would be supported by those seeking Israel’s elimination.

The Joint List, an Arab-led bloc, has declared its primary goal is to oust the Netanyahu government, but it will not join an administration that contravenes international law. This bloc also expects action on education, welfare, and crime if it is to provide external support to Eisenkot. Mansour Abbas, leader of the United Arab List (Ra’am), another Arab-led party, has reportedly declined to label Hamas a “terror” group during discussions with Herzog, citing concerns for his family’s safety, though he supports Hamas’s disarmament, according to The Times of Israel. Avigdor Liberman, leader of the Yisrael Beytenu party, has reiterated his stance that no government should rely on either Palestinian-led party.

In a related incident, journalist Abed Abou Shhadeh, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, was released without charge on November 8 after five days in the custody of the domestic intelligence agency, the Shin Bet. Shhadeh stated his arrest was intended to intimidate Arab society broadly. The Shin Bet chief’s attempt to question leaders of Palestinian-led parties was reportedly met with the Israeli attorney general’s assertion that the fraud probes would not significantly impact the election outcome. Tensions escalated on the streets, culminating in a far-right march through a Palestinian neighborhood in the mixed city of al-Lyd (Lod) on the evening of November 8, which resulted in a brawl and 11 arrests, according to The Times of Israel.

Meanwhile, the West Bank is experiencing a surge in takeovers, seizures, and attacks on the olive harvest. On November 4, approximately 30 settlers, supported by the settler group Nachala, occupied eight Palestinian homes in Ein a-Duyuk a-Tahta, near Jericho. Peace Now reported that settlers shot a Palestinian man in the leg, and the UN confirmed the army declared a closed military zone, impeding humanitarian access. Settlers claim they purchased the homes via Nachala, a claim disputed by Jericho Governor Hussein Hamayel, who called the sale a forgery. Reports indicate state backing for settler land razing and takeover efforts in the region, with the Binyamin Regional Council allegedly coordinating the purported purchase. Haaretz reported that Central Command chief Major General Avi Bluth was aware of the settlers’ entry in advance and advised them to delay notifying senior officers until they were inside, with army platoons diverted to protect the settlers during the house takeovers, though the army has denied the Haaretz report.

Jericho was just one instance in a broader escalation across the West Bank, marked by land seizures, demolitions, attacks, and arrests, often involving settlers, soldiers, and the Civil Administration acting in concert. The olive harvest has been particularly targeted, with OCHA recording 377 harvest-related attacks since September 1, exceeding any previous season. In October alone, OCHA documented 457 attacks causing casualties or damage in the West Bank, the highest monthly figure since data collection began in 2006. In Burqa, northwest of Ramallah, settlers set olive groves ablaze on November 5 while preventing residents from extinguishing the fires. Near Salfit, settlers assaulted three young men with clubs on November 8. On November 9, settlers drove farmers off land near Silwad and injured one near Tayasir, according to Palestinian state news agency Wafa.

Demolitions have also continued, with forces razing 21 structures belonging to three families in the northern Jordan Valley on November 4, and five homes in Biddu the following day. On November 9, Wafa reported the demolition of a 200-square-meter house, its well, and fruit trees in al-Hijra, near Dura.

Sieges and closures are also prevalent. Settlers have maintained a near-complete siege on Yusuf Shanaran’s home in Wadi al-Rakheem for six weeks. Village mayor Marwan Sabah noted a similar settler siege on the Abayet family home in Umm Safa, which has received demolition orders from the Israeli Civil Administration despite being constructed before Israel’s occupation began in 1967. In the southern West Bank, forces closed Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque to Palestinians for two days during a Jewish holiday, shortly after the army concluded a 10-day operation in the city.