According to officials at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the largest in the area, the victims include two women, a girl and a man. Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry announced that a 1-year-old baby died overnight due to the extreme cold.
Strong winter winds have collapsed walls over makeshift tents in the Gaza Strip, killing at least four people, including women and children. The tragic incident comes at a time when living conditions are extremely dangerous for the Palestinian population, more than 2 years after devastating Israeli bombing and a lack of sufficient humanitarian aid. Although a ceasefire has been in place since October, aid organizations say most Palestinians do not have adequate shelter to protect them from the frequent winter storms.
According to officials at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the largest in the area, the victims include two women, a girl and a man. Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry announced that a 1-year-old baby died overnight due to the extreme cold.
The 8-meter-high wall in a coastal area of the city killed three members of the same family: Mohamed Hamouda, 72, his 15-year-old granddaughter and his son’s daughter-in-law. At least five others were injured. Relatives began clearing the rubble on Tuesday and setting up makeshift tents for survivors. “The world has let us see death in every possible form,” Bassel Hamouda said after the funeral of his relatives. “The bombing may have stopped temporarily, but in Gaza we have experienced every conceivable cause of death.”
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said tents, plastic sheeting, blankets, clothing, as well as food and hygiene supplies are being distributed throughout Gaza. However, aid organizations say shelter materials are still in short supply.
Most Palestinians live in makeshift tents after their homes were destroyed in the war. The Gaza Health Ministry, run by local authorities, says more than 440 people have been killed by Israeli attacks since the ceasefire came into effect. Its casualty figures are generally considered reliable by the UN and independent experts. UNICEF spokesman James Elder said at least 100 children under the age of 18 have been killed since the ceasefire, as a result of military action, including airstrikes, drones and artillery fire. Hundreds more children have been injured. “Although the shelling and shooting have subsided, they have not stopped,” Elder said from Gaza in a video link to the UN in Geneva.
“What is called calm today would be considered a crisis anywhere else.” Gaza’s population of over 2 million is bracing for the cold and winter storms amid a lack of aid and durable shelter. This is the third winter since the war began on October 7, 2023, when Palestinian militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 others. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 71,400 Palestinians have been killed since the war began.