Severe winter weather has plunged Gaza into unprecedented humanitarian crisis as torrential rains and gale-force winds ravage the besieged territory. The catastrophic conditions have claimed multiple young lives and destroyed tens of thousands of makeshift shelters, compounding the devastation wrought by two years of conflict.
Tragic fatalities continue to mount amid the extreme weather. Two-month-old Arkan Firas Musleh succumbed to hypothermia on Monday, while seven-year-old Atta Mai drowned after falling into a flooded well near Gaza City. Since the rainy season began earlier this month, at least three children have died from exposure and 17 others perished in structural collapses triggered by severe storms.
The Shelter Cluster reports over 42,000 tents and temporary shelters suffered damage between December 10-17 alone, displacing approximately 250,000 vulnerable individuals. Civil defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal revealed that 90% of tents have been either swept away or inundated by floodwaters, while more than 110 residential buildings have experienced partial collapses.
Amro Akram, a 20-year-old displaced in Khan Younis, described the unbearable conditions: ‘We are drowning. The sound of children suffering in the rain is unbearable. A person feels powerless to help.’ After his own tent was destroyed earlier this month, Akram sought refuge in his sister’s shelter, which also flooded on Monday.
The humanitarian crisis is intensified by Israel’s blockade, which has restricted vital supplies. The Gaza-based Government Media Office alleges Israel has failed to meet its ceasefire agreement obligations, allowing only approximately 20,000 trucks entry since October instead of the mandated 48,000. This shortage has created critical deficits in food, medicine, water, and fuel, paralyzing hospitals, bakeries, and sanitation facilities.
The UN Relief and Works Agency characterized the situation as ‘man-made’ despite the natural origin of Storm Byron, noting that ‘months of war and displacement have forced people in Gaza to live amid collapsing ruins.’ With nearly 90% of Gaza’s infrastructure already destroyed during the conflict and 71,000 Palestinians killed, the territory now faces what officials describe as ‘a slow death’ from compounded humanitarian failures.