Cold, Floods Kill 16 in Gaza as Winter Storm Batters Displaced Families

Cold, Floods Kill 16 in Gaza as Winter Storm Batters Displaced Families

At least 16 people have died in Gaza over the past 24 hours, including three children who succumbed to extreme cold, as a powerful winter storm unleashed heavy rain and strong winds across the Gaza Strip, worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis.

Gaza’s civil defense agency said the fatalities were linked to exposure to cold, collapsing buildings and flooded shelters, as Storm Byron battered the territory from late Wednesday. The storm flooded tents and makeshift shelters, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are taking refuge after more than two years of war.

The agency confirmed that three children died from exposure to cold — two in Gaza City and one in Khan Yunis. Al-Shifa Hospital identified the victims as nine-year-old Hadeel Al-Masri and infant Taim Al-Khawaja, while Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis reported the death of eight-month-old Rahaf Abu Jazar in the Al-Mawasi displacement camp.

Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal said six people were killed when a house collapsed in the Bir Al-Naja area of northern Gaza, while two bodies were recovered from rubble in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City. He added that five others died in separate incidents caused by collapsing walls.

According to the agency, emergency teams responded to distress calls from 13 houses that collapsed due to heavy rain and strong winds, mostly in Gaza City and northern Gaza.

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Across central areas such as Nuseirat and Deir el-Balah, families struggled to bail water from their tents as children waded barefoot through muddy floodwaters. Many residents reported sleeping in soaked bedding, with no dry clothes or adequate blankets to protect them from the cold.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned that night-time temperatures could fall to 8–9°C, exposing children to severe health risks. UNICEF spokesman Jonathan Crickx described the situation as “extremely dangerous”, citing poor sanitation, flooded camps and open sewage, which could trigger waterborne diseases and respiratory infections.

The World Health Organization (WHO) also warned that thousands of families are sheltering in low-lying and debris-filled areas without drainage, cautioning that winter conditions and inadequate sanitation could fuel a surge in acute respiratory illnesses.

Although a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has eased some restrictions on aid deliveries since October, the United Nations says humanitarian supplies remain insufficient, leaving Gaza’s displaced population highly vulnerable as winter conditions intensify.

Cold, Floods Kill 16 in Gaza as Winter Storm Batters Displaced Families

ARAB NEWS