A wave of polar cold has pushed Gaza’s displaced population into an even deeper humanitarian crisis, with health and local officials warning that tens of thousands of families are now living in conditions unfit for human survival.
Nearly 127,000 tents—the only shelter available to most displaced Palestinians—have been rendered unusable by wind, rain, and freezing temperatures, leaving families exposed to the elements with almost no protection.
Across the devastated Gaza Strip, people are trying to endure the cold with little more than thin plastic sheets and damp blankets.
Aid workers report that the shortage of blankets, mattresses, and heating materials now exceeds 70 percent, and the situation is even more difficult in remote areas where assistance is rarely available.
Parents describe children sleeping on wet ground, shivering through the night, while elderly people and newborns face the highest risk of hypothermia.
|UN: Gaza’s Humanitarian Crisis Worsens|
Shelters and aid centers repeatedly hit:
The repeated targeting of shelters and aid‑distribution points has compounded the crisis. According to official figures, Israeli forces have bombed 303 shelters and 61 food‑distribution centers since the start of the assault.
Speaking through tears from Gaza, journalist Bisan Owda says destruction continues even without active bombardment.
Powerful winds and heavy rain caused partially destroyed buildings to collapse on sleeping families, triggering scenes of panic, screams, and desperate searches… pic.twitter.com/9MI8idWTJ4
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) January 12, 2026
The destruction has left most displaced families without any means of heating or insulation, forcing children, women, and the elderly to sleep directly on the ground inside tents that offer no protection from wind or rain.
Humanitarian groups say the loss of these facilities has crippled efforts to distribute winter supplies, leaving families with nothing to shield them from the cold.
Cold‑related deaths rise, mostly among children:
Medical teams report that the freezing temperatures have already claimed the lives of 21 displaced Palestinians, including 18 children in forced‑displacement camps.
Doctors say they are seeing tens of thousands of respiratory and infectious illnesses, made worse by overcrowded shelters, the absence of heating, and the collapse of the health system.
With 38 hospitals destroyed and 96 primary‑care centers out of service, the remaining facilities are overwhelmed.
Doctors warn that infants, the elderly, and people with chronic illnesses are at the greatest risk, especially as families burn scraps of plastic or damp wood to stay warm, producing toxic fumes that worsen respiratory infections.
Child dies in Deir al‑Balah as Israeli attacks escalate:
On Tuesday morning, a child in Deir al‑Balah, in central Gaza, died from severe cold, underscoring the deadly impact of the winter storm on displaced families.
⚡️🇵🇸JUST IN: Government Media Office in Gaza:
The number of deaths due to extreme cold in forced displacement camps has risen to 21 martyrs since the start of the genocide, and we warn of catastrophic repercussions of the upcoming low-pressure systems.
We warn of the… pic.twitter.com/rAa2aQZk9C
— Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws1) January 12, 2026
At the same time, Israeli forces continued to violate the ceasefire. Troops carried out three demolitions targeting homes and structures southeast of Gaza City, while artillery shelled the eastern areas of the al‑Bureij refugee camp, in central Gaza.
Israeli warplanes launched intense airstrikes on the eastern parts of Deir al‑Balah, adding another layer of fear and instability for families already struggling to survive the cold.
Military vehicles also opened heavy machine‑gun fire toward eastern Khan Younis, in the southern part of the coastal enclave.
Aid groups warn of a worsening emergency:
Humanitarian organizations say Gaza is now facing a “double emergency”: a collapsing health system and a winter storm that the population is simply not equipped to withstand.
Without immediate large‑scale intervention, winterized shelters, blankets, fuel, and medical supplies, aid workers warn that cold‑related deaths will continue to rise, particularly among children.
Since the “ceasefire” declared on 11 October 2025, the cumulative toll has continued to rise, with 442 Palestinians killed, 1,240 injured, and 697 bodies recovered from collapsed buildings across the Gaza Strip.
Medical authorities in Gaza report 71,419 Palestinians killed and 171,318 injured since October 07, 2023, alongside mounting deaths from exposure, collapsed buildings, and the breakdown of essential services.
