GAZA CITY — A seven-day-old baby died from extreme cold in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, as Israel’s ongoing blockade and a new winter storm worsened the suffering of displaced families living in tents, raising fears of a humanitarian catastrophe.
Hospitals in Gaza said the infant, Mahmoud Al-Aqra, arrived at Shuhada’ Al-Aqsa Hospital in critical condition. Doctors later confirmed his death after severe exposure to cold, amid a lack of proper heating and basic shelter.
Official data shows that at least four children have died from cold-related causes inside displacement tents, as Gaza continues to face harsh humanitarian conditions and widespread shelter shortages.
Gaza’s Civil Defense warned that every winter storm now turns into a humanitarian disaster due to the Israeli ban on the entry of construction materials and the obstruction of reconstruction efforts. It said the latest low-pressure system caused severe damage to temporary shelters, with thousands of tents either fully destroyed or badly damaged.
The Civil Defense urged displaced families to secure their tents to prevent them from being blown away by strong winds, especially as authorities still block the entry of mobile homes and proper housing units.
Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said the situation is not a weather crisis but a direct result of preventing building materials and halting reconstruction. He added that people now live in torn tents and cracked homes without safety or dignity.
Basal also said many Palestinians were forced to set up tents along the coastline because Israeli destruction left no available space inside cities.
He stressed that conditions in Gaza fall far below minimum humanitarian standards and amount to a grave violation of humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law.
Hundreds of tents were damaged by strong winds, as the Meteorological Department warned that harsh weather conditions will continue, with dropping temperatures and persistent gusts.
Israeli airstrikes on the outskirts of the Beach Camp, northwest of Gaza City, also damaged displacement tents and destroyed their contents, forcing families to spend the night outdoors.
The new storm began on Friday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds across the Gaza Strip. On Saturday, the Palestinian Meteorological Department said scattered rainfall remains possible in several areas, while wind speeds may reach up to 60 kilometers per hour.
Since the ceasefire agreement took effect on October 10, Israel has failed to meet its commitments under the deal, including allowing the entry of tents, mobile homes, construction materials, and supplies needed to repair water and sewage networks, according to official data.
During the previous storm at the end of December, hundreds of tents housing displaced families along the coast of Khan Younis in southern Gaza were flooded after sea waves surged inland.
Since December, repeated winter storms have also caused dozens of previously damaged residential buildings to collapse, leading to additional casualties.
These weather systems have further deepened Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, which has seen no real improvement despite the end of the war, due to Israel’s failure to honor the ceasefire commitments.
The agreement ended a war of genocide launched by Israel on October 8, 2023, which lasted two years and killed more than 71,000 Palestinians, injured over 171,000 others, and destroyed around 90 percent of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure. The United Nations estimates reconstruction costs at nearly $70 billion. — QNN
