Gaza: Death Toll Rises as Displaced Suffer Amid Israeli Aggression and Winter Storm
Dozens killed by bombardment, collapsing homes, and freezing temperatures amid Israeli blockade and US-backed violations of the ceasefire
Palestine, PUREWILAYAH.COM — The humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip continues to intensify as ongoing Israeli aggression, combined with a severe winter storm, drives the death toll higher and pushes the besieged territory toward total collapse.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported four martyrs and ten injuries over the past 24 hours, warning that the actual toll is expected to rise as numerous victims remain trapped beneath rubble or stranded in streets unreachable by emergency crews due to the near-total breakdown of civil defense and ambulance services.
According to official figures, 383 Palestinians have been killed and 1,002 wounded since the ceasefire agreement of October 11, 2025, reflecting Israel’s continued violations.
Since the launch of the US-backed Israeli war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, the confirmed toll has reached 70,373 martyrs and 171,079 injured, in addition to the recovery of 627 bodies from under the ruins of destroyed neighborhoods.
Children Die as Cold, Exposure, and Siege Turn Tents into Death Traps
The winter storm sweeping Gaza has added a deadly new layer to the crisis. Palestinian sources confirmed that at least 11 people have died due to extreme cold and weather-related incidents, the majority of them children.
Among the victims are infant Taim al-Khawaja from Beach Refugee Camp and nine-year-old Hadeel Abdullah Hamdan from Gaza City, both of whom succumbed to freezing temperatures inside tents and destroyed homes lacking heating, insulation, or basic protection.
With Israel blocking the entry of shelter materials, tens of thousands of displaced families are forced to endure brutal weather conditions in flimsy tents and partially collapsed structures, turning winter exposure into a silent but lethal weapon.
Homes Collapse, Camps Flooded as Gaza’s Infrastructure Disintegrates
The storm has caused widespread flooding and structural collapses, claiming additional lives across the Strip. In Beit Lahia, five displaced Palestinians were killed when a house sheltering refugees collapsed in the Bir al-Na‘ja area.
Two more civilians were killed after a large wall fell onto displacement tents in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood.
Further fatalities were reported in Beach Camp following the collapse of a wall, while another infant died from cold exposure in displacement tents in al-Mawasi, Khan Younis. Two children were injured when their tent collapsed in Abu Jabal Camp.
Civil defense teams documented the collapse of at least ten homes within hours, while ongoing evacuations continue in Sheikh Radwan and al-Karama neighborhoods in northern Gaza.
Entire displacement camps in al-Mawasi have been flooded, with major damage also reported in Deir al-Balah, Nuseirat, and Gaza City.
Gaza Municipality Warns of Environmental and Health Disaster
Gaza Municipality issued an urgent warning of an escalating humanitarian and environmental disaster, confirming that violent winds and heavy rainfall have damaged the vast majority of displacement tents.
Rescue teams, operating with minimal equipment and no water-pumping machinery, are struggling as floodwaters rise to dangerous levels.
Municipal officials warned of imminent sewage overflows, mounting waste accumulation, and the risk of infectious disease outbreaks, as thousands of displaced residents are left homeless after tents were torn apart by the storm.
Hamas: Israel Violates Ceasefire and Blocks Humanitarian Aid
Hamas stated that the Israeli occupation is deliberately violating the ceasefire agreement, particularly the humanitarian protocol, by preventing the entry of shelter materials and essential supplies into the Gaza Strip.
The movement called on mediators and guarantor states to intervene immediately and exert pressure on Israel to allow humanitarian aid to enter and to open the Rafah crossing in both directions.
Hamas stressed that continued inaction by the international community constitutes direct complicity in Israel’s collective punishment of Gaza’s civilian population.
A Manufactured Disaster Under Siege
As displacement deepens, camps flood, and children freeze to death, Gaza stands on the brink of a full-scale humanitarian collapse — not due to natural causes alone, but as a direct result of Israeli siege warfare enabled by unwavering US political and military support.
Without immediate international intervention, the death toll from cold, exposure, and structural collapse is expected to rise sharply in the coming days, further exposing the human cost of a war that continues long after declared ceasefires. (PW)