Gaza’s 70,000 tents under water as Palestine weekly tracks West Bank fire and mounting toll

Storm Hits Displaced Families

The season’s first major storm flooded about 70,000 tents in Gaza in 12 hours. The Government Media Office reported at least five deaths and about $3 million in damage.

On November 8, a sand embankment collapsed onto tents southwest of Deir el-Balah. Five bodies were recovered, including Tahrir Nabhan, her daughter Maryam, and Habiba al-Zein.

Gaza Deaths and Aid

Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported 20 Palestinian deaths over the past week, bringing the toll since the October 2025 ceasefire to 1,613 as of November 9. Among those killed were 16-year-old Rimas al-Madhoun, killed in a strike on a Gaza City tent on November 3, and Noura Sheikh al-Eid, killed by tank fire in al-Mawasi two days later.

Israel’s Political Dispute

Eisenkot proposed a national emergency government open to parties accepting four principles, including recognition of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state and describing Hamas as a terrorist group to be destroyed. Netanyahu called for a national unity government with Eisenkot, Likud, Haredi and far-right allies, and warned against relying on Arab-led parties.

Mansour Abbas, leader of the United Arab List, declined to call Hamas a terror group in discussions with Herzog, citing fear for his family, while backing its disarmament, according to the Times of Israel. Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman said a government should not rely on either Palestinian-led party; a far-right march in al-Lyd ended in a brawl and 11 arrests.

West Bank Settler Actions

OCHA counted 377 attacks related to the olive harvest since September 1, more than in any previous season, and documented 457 attacks causing casualties or damage in October. The article also reports olive-grove fires, assaults on farmers and demolitions, including 21 structures in the northern Jordan Valley, five homes in Biddu and a house, well and fruit trees in al-Hijra.