Extreme cold kills 25 Gazans, including children, in December amid Israeli aid obstruction
More than two dozen people have died in the Gaza Strip as a winter storm threatens the lives of nearly 900,000 Palestinians living in tents across the devastated coastal territory, with Israeli forces hampering aid deliveries and exacerbating the humanitarian condition.
The official Palestinian news agency WAFA, citing Gaza’s Civil Defense and rescue teams, reported that 25 people, including six children, have died this month from hypothermia following rains and plunging temperatures.
According to reports, Gaza had not experienced severe weather conditions marked by heavy rainfall, strong winds, and extreme cold prior to the current month of December.
Eighteen residential buildings, already damaged by Israeli shelling, completely collapsed due to harsh weather conditions and intense rainfall during the same period.
Over 110 residential buildings sustained severe partial collapses, which endangered the lives of thousands of residents living inside or near these structures.
Meanwhile, 90 percent of displacement tents in the Gaza Strip were flooded or blown away by heavy rains and strong winds, leaving thousands of families without temporary shelter. This disaster also led to the loss of their few possessions, such as clothes, blankets, and bedding, further aggravating their already dire humanitarian situation.
Intense weather conditions are adding to the hardships faced by displaced Palestinians in Gaza, who have endured ongoing bombardments, a crippling siege, and immense losses during more than two years of Israel's genocidal war.
Israel persists in breaching the ceasefire agreement and obstructing essential humanitarian aid from reaching the war-stricken coastal sliver, even though these provisions being outlined in the initial phase of the accord.
Flimsy tents were submerged, and improvised camps were engulfed by mud on Monday after heavy winter rains battered the territory over the past few days.
Local officials in Gaza have advised against seeking refuge in damaged buildings; however, the tents provide minimal shelter from the heavy rainfall and offer no effective defense against flooding.
Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed at least 71,266 Palestinians and wounded 171,222 others since October 2023.
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