Gaza's Rain-Soaked Crisis: Netanyahu's US Meeting Amid Looming Humanitarian Disaster

Heavy winter rains have turned Gaza's displacement camps into muddy quagmires, further devastating the lives of Palestinians who fled two years of war. As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travels to the US for a critical meeting with President Donald Trump, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to deepen. In the southern city of Khan Younis, families huddled in soggy tents, wading through ankle-deep puddles and struggling to stay warm. Children, clad in flip-flops, navigated the muddy terrain, as adults used makeshift tools to clear water from their homes. "We're exhausted, we just want mattresses and covers," said Fatima Abu Omar, a displaced woman from Khan Younis, as she fought to prop up a collapsing shelter. Her words echoed the desperation of many in Gaza, where at least 12 people have died from hypothermia or weather-related collapses since December 13. The rain has exacerbated the already dire living conditions in Gaza, where over 80% of buildings have been destroyed or damaged. With few places to escape the rain, families are forced to endure the harsh weather in war-damaged homes that could collapse at any moment. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire, with 414 people killed and 1,142 wounded since the ceasefire began. Aid groups have warned that deliveries are falling far short of the needed amount, leaving thousands without basic necessities. "People in Gaza are surviving in flimsy, waterlogged tents and among ruins," said Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the top UN group overseeing aid in Gaza. "There is nothing inevitable about this. Aid supplies are not being allowed in at the scale required.\