@guardian: A state of maximum emergency has been declared in Gaza after a rainstorm flooded about 70,000 tents housing displaced Palestinians, causing at least five deaths and overwhelming rescue services.  The first storm of the second winter since the ceasefire of 2024 came last weekend, prompting warnings of a worsening humanitarian situation for hundreds of thousands of displaced people living in temporary camps, lacking adequate protection from rain and wind.  Tents usually supplied by emergency charities have been held by the Israeli blockade outside the camps, according to the charity ShelterBox.  “We are living in a truly tragic reality,” says Thaer Abu Hamad, a displaced person from Beit Lahia. “We need someone to look upon us with mercy."