{
  "id": 19115786,
  "title": "PM Shehbaz directs foreign ministry to urgently ‘escalate humanitarian assistance’ for rain-hit Gaza",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/pm-shehbaz-directs-foreign-ministry-to-urgently-escalate-humanitarian",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-09T07:28:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn",
    "slug": "dawn",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2043256/pm-shehbaz-directs-foreign-ministry-to-urgently-escalate-humanitarian-assistance-for-rain-hit-gaza"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed the foreign ministry to swiftly \"escalate humanitarian assistance\" for the flood-stricken Gaza, where torrential rains have inundated thousands of tents housing displaced Palestinians. At least 70,000 tents were submerged in the last day, leaving numerous displaced individuals injured, though no fatalities have been reported. The flooding has also demolished shelters, according to authorities. Gaza's civil defence service has received 1,500 distress calls from affected residents. Municipal and civil defense officials acknowledged their inability to manage the storm due to fuel shortages and equipment damage. Israel's forces have destroyed hundreds of vehicles, including those used for water pumping, during their offensive on the territory.\n\nThe Prime Minister described the scenes in Gaza as \"heartrending,\" with children trapped without shelter, facing starvation and extreme cold. He directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to pursue \"all possible means\" to urgently increase humanitarian aid. The Prime Minister vehemently condemned \"continued Israeli illegal actions to deny basic humanitarian assistance\" and \"the ongoing aggression toward the Palestinian people,\" which violates the ceasefire and international law.\n\nGaza has been under Israeli attack since Hamas launched an assault on Israel on October 7, 2023. The Palestinian authorities report that over 74,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the assault began. Following last year's US-brokered Gaza ceasefire, progress toward reconstruction has been minimal, and Israel persists in breaching the ceasefire. Israeli forces maintain control over more than 60% of the territory and conduct nearly daily airstrikes, while Hamas governs most of the area where over two million Palestinians reside, mostly in temporary shelters with inadequate aid supplies.\n\nResidents attempted to repair their tents and fortify them with sand to prevent further water infiltration. Some were frantically attempting to remove water from their flooded tents, while others placed their children in less inundated areas. Olfat Magdoub, a resident of Gaza City, expressed concern about the potential for more rain, saying, \"This is the first day of rain, and of course we are already flooded. What will happen if it rains again the next day? This is only the first day and we’re already overwhelmed.\" \"Two weeks ago, when it rained, I spent four days sleeping on blankets spread on the floor because the rainwater had flooded the bedding. Same now, the mattresses are wet so we sleep on the ground.\" Another resident, Rafiq Ghattas, who was standing in a pool of rainwater, lamented their lack of resources, stating, \"We have no resources, no tarpaulins, no tents and no one is checking on us.\"",
  "summary": "Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday he had directed the foreign ministry to pursue all possible means to urgently “escalate humanitarian assistance” to Gaza, where heavy rains have flooded tens of thousands of tents housing displaced Palestinians. The Gaza government media office said on Sunday that at least 70,000 tents had been flooded in the past 12 hours, affecting tens of thousands…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Jerusalem Post",
        "title": "Israel approves initial 250 foreign troops for Gaza as US prepares multinational force",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/israel-approves-initial-250-foreign-troops-for-gaza-as-us-prepares",
        "published": "2026-11-09T05:56:51.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}