Heavy rains flood Gaza tents as Israel kills two more Palestinians

Heavy rains flood Gaza tents as Israel kills two more Palestinians

Palestinians across Gaza are living with inadequate shelter as they brave the winter months with little protection

Palestinians navigate a flooded street in the al-Mawasi area of ​​Khan Younis, Gaza, February 24, 2026 [Abdallah F S Alattar/Anadolu Agency]

By Al Jazeera Staff and Anadolu
Published On 24 Feb 2026

Palestinians across Gaza have woken up to heavy rains that flooded their makeshift tents as they brave the winter with little to no protection.

The enclave was hit by a winter storm late Monday through Tuesday – the first since the start of the holy month of Ramadan – with Gaza’s civil defence units reporting multiple distress calls overnight.

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Rescue teams provided emergency assistance to several families whose tents were flooded in the al-Mawasi camp west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Areas west of Gaza City, particularly the Remal neighbourhood and the port area, were also hit hard.

Videos circulating on social media showed flooded tents in Remal, as residents struggled to find solutions to prevent further damage.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces continued to kill Palestinians in Gaza in violation of a “ceasefire” reached with Hamas in October.





As the enclave battled the aftermath of the rains, the Israeli military killed two people, including a boy, in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya area. The details of those killings are awaited.

“It’s not only the fact that aid is not entering, but also [that] Israel continues violating the ‘ceasefire’, continues to kill Palestinians,” said Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, reporting from Gaza City.

More than 600 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the United States-brokered “ceasefire” came into effect, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

Israel launched its genocidal offensive in Gaza in October 2023, killing more than 72,000 Palestinians and wounding 171,000 others as it turned the enclave to rubble.


‘Catastrophic’ conditions

Tens of thousands of Palestinian families are living in makeshift tents, unable to withstand heavy rains and exposed to waterborne illnesses and the risk of hypothermia.

United Nations rights chief Volker Turk said the situation remains “catastrophic”.

Since December, a series of winter storms have flooded or blown away tens of thousands of tents and caused already damaged buildings, previously hit by Israeli attacks, to collapse, killing and injuring dozens of Palestinians.

Some have died from extreme cold in their flimsy tents as Israel continues to block the entry of aid shipments and shelter materials, including tents and mobile homes.

Despite the harsh weather, Israel is maintaining its restrictions on the entry of critically needed humanitarian aid.

Al Jazeera’s Khoudary said thousands of Palestinians denied permission to travel abroad for urgent medical treatment were “homeless, because they do not have any houses to return to, as the Israeli forces destroyed most of their houses”.

 

Military Watch:

France Refuses Key Rafale Technology Transfers to India and Restricts Autonomy: Will it Boost the Russian Su-57’s Appeal?

South Asia , Aircraft and Anti-Aircraft

Military Watch Magazine Editorial Staff

February-23rd-2026

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Rafale (left) and Su-57 Fighters

French sources have reported that India has been refused access to the source code governing the Rafale fighter’s main electronic systems and its electronic warfare suite, including the SPECTRA defensive aids package, as the sale of up to 114 of the aircraft remains under discussion. This follows India’s cancellation of a prior agreement to procure 126 Rafale fighters in the 2010s in large part due to the limits of the technology transfers which French negotiators were willing to offer, with only 36 fighters having been ordered. These restrictions will directly impact the Indian Air Force’s long-term operational freedom should it proceed to procure the aircraft, preventing the service from fully modifying them or integrating future upgrades or indigenous armaments. Every significant change or customisation would require coordination and approval from Dassault Aviation, Thales, and other French-based firms.

Rafale Fighter

Although the Indian Air Force accepted restrictions on its previous 36 Rafales, should it procure an additional 114 fighters the aircraft would be the second most widely fielded in its fleet, behind a fleet of over 270 Su-30MKI heavyweight fighters procured from Russia. Although France has been able to a gain considerable market share or the Rafale abroad in large part by imposing far fewer restrictions on how it is operated and allowing greater autonomy than other Western fighter producers, in particular the United States, the constraints which it has imposed have been far less flexible than those put in place  by Russia, which remains its primary competition for Indian fighter orders. While other clients for the Rafale have not faced Russian competition, due to Western Bloc political pressure which has locked Russian fighters out of key markets from Indonesia to the United Arab Emirates, India’s resilience to sanctions threats has posed a challenge to French efforts to market the aircraft. 

Indian Air Force Su-30MKI (front) and Rafale Fighters

Russia’s assent to very considerable autonomy in operating, modifying, and indigenising production of the Su-30MKI was a primary factor leading the Indian Air Force not only to plan a large fleet of over 150 aircraft, but also to expand it, with over 220 Su-30MKI fighters having been produced under license in the country after 50 were supplied by Russia. The fighters have extensively integrated both Indian and third party subsystems and weapons, from local Astra radar guided air-to-air missiles to British AIM-132 infrared guided air-to-air missiles and Israeli SPICE guided bombs. The fighters are currently planned to be modernised with the integration of an indigenous Indian active electronically scanned array radar in the early 2030s.  

Rafale Fighter

While the Rafale’s technologies are valued by the Indian defence sector, which has struggled to develop its own ‘4+ generation’ fighters and relies heavily on foreign technological inputs, the Russian Defence Ministry in June 2025 was reported to have made an unprecedented offer to provide full access to the source code of the Su-57 fifth generation as part of a license production deal. This would place Indian Su-57s entirely in a league of their own among fighters of their generation in their levels of customisability and the degree to which they can integrate indigenous technologies. Director of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugayev in December alluded to the possibility of this reaching the stage of a fully joint program, providing the Indian defence sector with joint ownership of key technologies. This has drawn a stark contrast to French restrictions on technology sharing and operational autonomy. 

Su-57 Delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces in February 2025

It was confirmed in February 2025 that a license production deal for the Su-57 was being considered, while the Indian Defence Ministry in January 2026 confirmed that these talks had reached an advanced technical stage. With France and the wider Western world remaining in a state of intense conflict with Russia, and working to starve its defence sector of revenues, there remains a strong incentive to present the Indian Defence Ministry with a more attractive offer to procure the Rafale. This would divert funds to French industry, which would otherwise likely finance larger scale Su-57 procurements. Delays to the development of the indigenous AMCA fifth generation fighter program in India have fuelled speculation that the Su-57’s appeal will continue to grow, with the possibility of a very high level of indigenisation of the Russian origin fighter making it particularly attractive. 

Largest U.S. Military Mobilization Since 2003 Iraq War to attack Iran - all for Israel the Wankee Master

Tuesday, February 24, 2026


Largest U.S. Military Mobilization Since 2003 Iraq War: Is Donald Trump Set To Greenlight War With Iran?

By Sumit Ahlawat
-February 23, 2026



‘Amateurs study tactics; professionals study logistics,’ is a well-known military maxim. History is littered with instances where poor logistics failed a tactically capable force.

Napoleon’s 1812 invasion of Russia and Hitler’s 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union both failed due to poor logistics, not poor tactics.

If there is one piece of evidence that leaves no doubt that the Iran-U.S. War is certain, it is this: Washington’s focus on logistics.

While the U.S. force mobilization in the Middle East is the biggest in decades, the focus on logistics suggests that the US is preparing for a sustained campaign against Iran, not a one-off strike like last June, during ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ when seven B-2 Bombers, accompanied by F-22s and F-35s, bombed three Iranian nuclear sites.

The scale of the force mobilization, including hundreds of flights by military transport aircraft and tankers, building an “air bridge,” utilising dozens of C-17 Globemaster III cargo planes and KC-46 aerial refuelling tankers to move thousands of tons of munitions, field hospitals, and support equipment, deployment of an unprecedented number of AWACS and Electronic Warfare aircraft, and amassing of air defense assets in the region clearly establish that the objective is more than political signaling.

“The firepower will provide the US the option of carrying out a sustained, weekslong air war against Iran instead of the one-and-done ‘Midnight Hammer,” US defense officials told the Wall Street Journal.

Image for Representation.


Meanwhile, according to Robert A. Pape, the Founding Director of the Chicago Project on Security & Threats (CPOST), the US’s current force mobilization in the Middle East accounts for 40-50% of the deployable US air power worldwide.


US’s Unprecedented Force Mobilization In The Middle East

The US has already assembled the greatest amount of air power in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and the force mobilization is still underway.

The US is sending a massive number of jet fighters, including the cutting-edge stealth fighters F-22 Raptor and F-35s, F-15s, F-16s, and F/A-18 Hornets, as well as support aircraft, such as C-17A and C-130 Hercules cargo planes, KC-46 Tankers, WC-135R Nuclear sniffer, RC-135 SIGINT, E-3 Sentry AWACS, and ground support aircraft A-10 Thunderbolt.

According to Robert Pape, open-source intelligence analysts and flight-tracking websites have tracked nearly 160 flights by C-17A cargo planes, 18 by Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, and numerous by C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft.

These cargo flights have transported thousands of tonnes of munitions, air defense batteries, field hospitals, and other support equipment needed to sustain a military operation lasting several weeks.

Flightradar24

@flightradar24

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US military flights have dominated our most tracked flights list this week. See a time lapse of flights since Monday and how you can access the most tracked flights panel in the Flightradar24 app.

6:08 AM · Feb 20, 2026

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OSINT analysts have also tracked multiple flights by KC-135 & KC-46 Tankers. The US has established an air bridge across the Atlantic with these tankers, enabling fighter jets such as F-15s, F-16s, F-22s, and F-35s to fly thousands of miles.

Military Air Tracking Alliance, a team of about 30 open-source analysts that routinely analyzes military and government flight activity, said it has tracked more than 85 fuel tankers and over 170 cargo planes heading into the region in mid-February.

The US has also deployed several special-purpose aircraft, such as the Lockheed Martin HC-130J Combat King II, a specialized, four-engine turboprop aircraft used by the US Air Force for personnel recovery, helicopter aerial refueling, maritime surveillance, search and rescue (SAR), and specialized missions.

One WC-135R Nuclear Sniffer has been deployed to Mildenhall, UK. The WC-135R detects atmospheric radioactivity, usually monitoring for nuclear weapons tests or accidents.

OSINTtechnical

@Osinttechnical

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The U.S. Air Force continued to operate a major airbridge to the Middle East over the last 24 hours, moving in additional tankers, air defense assets, and fighters as the U.S. prepares for conflict with Iran.

4:09 PM · Feb 20, 2026

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Three E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) aircraft have been deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.


The E-11A, based on the Bombardier Global 6000/BD-700 business jet, is designed to act as a high-altitude “Wi-Fi in the sky” communications relay.

Three E-3 Sentry AWACS have been deployed to Mildenhall, UK.

One RC-135 SIGINT, specializing in near-real-time detection, identification, and geolocation of adversary communications and electronic emissions, has been deployed to Chania, Greece.

Six EA-18 Growlers, an advanced carrier-based electronic warfare (EW) aircraft, have been deployed to Muwaffaq Salti air base in Jordan.

The US has also deployed more than 24 F-15 Eagles, more than 35 F-35s, F-22 Raptors, F-16s, and A-10 Thunderbolt ground-attack aircraft.

The US has also deployed Patriot and THAAD air defense systems to its military bases in the region. Iran is anticipated to launch a barrage of missiles on Israel and US military bases in the region in case of a US attack, and thus, Washington is boosting its air defense assets in the region.

Besides, hundreds of US fighter jets are also deployed on the two aircraft carriers.

The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group (CSG) has been deployed in CENTCOM since January. Meanwhile, earlier this month, President Trump also ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford, its newest and largest aircraft carrier, to be deployed to the region.

On board these two aircraft carriers are over 200 aircraft, including F/A-18 Super Hornets, EA-18 Growlers, MH-60 Seahawks, F-35C, and E-2D Hawkeyes.

The US Navy has 13 ships in the region, including nine destroyers equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles and capable of defending against ballistic missiles, as well as an unspecified number of submarines.

The US already had nearly 40,000 troops deployed to its 18 military bases in the region. The two aircraft carriers also have over 10,000 US troops, bringing the total to over 50,000.

All this is in addition to the Israeli Air Force, which is already the region’s strongest air power.

With these assets, the US could easily sustain an offensive air campaign against Iran for several weeks.

The US military buildup is technically the region’s largest since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, even though the resources moved for the war dwarfed current assets, said Michael O’Hanlon, a defense and foreign policy analyst at the Brookings Institution.

O’Hanlon suggested that the US could simply use long-range B-2 bombers, as it had in June, if it wanted only to strike what’s left of Iran’s nuclear program. The forces in place now are clearly designed to attack targets in Iran and to defend against retaliation.

However, it must be noted that the US deployed more than 500,000 troops during Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s and roughly 250,0000 American forces in Iraq in 2003.

This time, however, the US is only focusing on amassing air and naval assets in the region, with no corresponding surge in ground troops.

This suggests that the coming military operation will primarily be an air campaign and will not involve boots on the ground.

While this is no surprise, given President Trump’s well-known aversion to putting boots on the ground, it remains debatable to what extent the US could achieve its objectives against Iran only by an air campaign.

The US has four broad objectives in Iran: Dismantling Iran’s nuclear program, degrading its missile capabilities, forcing Tehran to disband its proxy network in the region (Hamas, Houthis, Hezbollah), and regime change in Tehran.

While Iran might be willing to accept some compromise on the nuclear issue, as well as on its support for its proxies, there is very little chance of Iran offering any concessions on its missile program or regime change talks.

“If what Trump really wants to do is affect the regime and set back its ability to use missiles to attack American bases, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf States, it would probably have to be an intense operation that would last weeks or possibly months,” said Eliot Cohen, a scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“It seems that the Trump administration has decided that it is going to attack Iran again, and I presume in conjunction with the Israelis. What the objectives are, we have yet to see. Can it be contained? Will others be drawn in? These are all really important questions, and we don’t have answers,” said Barbara Slavi, distinguished fellow at Stimson Center.

The US has already spent billions of dollars in transporting these assets to the region, and since Iran is unlikely to offer Washington any substantial concessions, a US-Iran war is now highly likely.

The only question is how long this air campaign will last.

Sumit Ahlawat has over a decade of experience in news media. He has worked with Press Trust of India, Times Now, Zee News, Economic Times, and Microsoft News. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Media and Modern History from the University of Sheffield, UK.

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Billions spent - all for Israel the Wankee Master

But I hope the wanks will at least have the toilets on the USS Gerald R. Ford, its newest and largest aircraft carrier, repaired. We don't want shit being dumped into the Mediterranean of Indian Ocean, wakakaka.