Gaza City, Gaza Strip Hit by Deadly Winter Storms as Collapsing Shelters and Extreme Cold Claim Lives

When the storm arrived

The wind came first. Then the rain. By morning, winter storms had turned daily survival in the Gaza Strip into a fight against the elements. Tents shook, walls groaned, and families inside waited, hoping the structures would hold.

Near Gaza City, Gaza Strip, an eight-meter-high concrete wall collapsed onto a cluster of tents along the coast. Three members of one family were killed. A 72-year-old man, his 15-year-old granddaughter, and his daughter-in-law died where they had sought shelter. Five others were injured, pulled from beneath fabric and rubble.

In another part of the city, a woman was killed when a wall fell onto her tent. The storm moved on. The damage stayed.

Cold settles in after the rain

When the wind eased, the cold took over. Wet clothes clung to bodies. Mattresses soaked through. The Gaza Health Ministry said a one-year-old boy died overnight from hypothermia in Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip.

He was the seventh person to die from cold exposure this winter.

Other victims include a baby just seven days old and a four-year-old girl. Thin plastic tents offered little protection as temperatures dropped. Inside, families huddled together. Outside, rainwater pooled in the sand.

“We did not realize what was happening"

Survivors said the collapse came without warning.

Bassel Hamuda, displaced near the coast, described the moment:
“We did not realize what was happening until the wall started collapsing. An eight-meter-high wall, a strong concrete wall. Because of the speed and force of the wind, it fell on top of us, onto three tents."

He paused before listing the dead.
“The elderly man, 73 years old, was killed. His son’s wife was killed. His son’s daughter was killed."

Tents ripped away, families scrambling

Across Gaza, the storm left a trail of chaos. Hundreds of tents flooded. Some were ripped from the ground and thrown dozens of meters. Others collapsed into muddy pools.

Families ran from shelter to shelter, grabbing what they could. Tent pegs were hammered back into soaked ground. Sandbags were stacked by hand to hold back water. Many shelters failed anyway.

Officials said around 7,000 tents were damaged in just 48 hours. For most families, there was nowhere else to go.

Displacement with nowhere to escape

More than two million people remain trapped in Gaza after nearly two years of war. Since a ceasefire began in October, Israeli forces have ordered the near-total depopulation of almost two thirds of the territory, pushing civilians into a narrow strip along the coast.

Most displaced families live in makeshift tents or damaged buildings. Rescue workers warn people not to shelter in those buildings during storms. Walls can collapse without warning. Still, many have no other option.

Aid stretched thin as winter deepens

Aid organizations say Gaza lacks even the most basic winter protection. A United Nations report warned that 761 displacement sites, sheltering about 850,000 people, face a high risk of flooding.

UN and Palestinian officials estimate at least 300,000 new tents are urgently needed for the 1.5 million people still displaced. Most existing shelters are torn, worn out, or made from thin plastic and cloth.

UNRWA said:
“In Gaza, winter weather is adding to the suffering of families already pushed to the brink by over two years of war. Flooding, cold, and damaged shelters are creating new dangers, while humanitarian access remains severely constrained."

Emergency crews overwhelmed

Local emergency services say they are unable to keep up. Fuel shortages limit rescue operations. Much of the heavy equipment needed to respond to flooding and collapses was destroyed during the war.

Officials say hundreds of vehicles, including bulldozers and water pumps, are gone. Without them, clearing debris or draining floodwater becomes nearly impossible.

Deaths continue despite the ceasefire

Even with a ceasefire in place, people keep dying. The Gaza Health Ministry says more than 440 people have been killed by Israeli fire since the truce began.

UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said at least 100 children under 18 have been killed since the ceasefire, including 60 boys and 40 girls, during drone attacks, air strikes, tank shelling, and live ammunition incidents. He said the real number is likely higher. Hundreds more children have been wounded.

The rain keeps falling. The cold settles in. Tents fail again.
For Gaza’s displaced families, winter has become another threat they cannot escape.