News - Middle East:  At least eleven Palestinians, including infants and children, have died and several others were injured over the past 24 hours as a deep winter storm continues to batter the Gaza Strip, triggering the collapse of homes and tents in displacement areas and worsening the already dire humanitarian conditions.

Heavy rainfall, powerful winds, and widespread flooding have struck the enclave for three consecutive days. With the near-total absence of heavy machinery, equipment, and basic resources for civil defense teams and local municipalities, rescue operations have become increasingly difficult.

Medical sources confirmed the death of nine-year-old Hadeel al-Masri, who succumbed to severe cold in a displacement center in western Gaza City. In a separate incident, the infant Taim al-Khawaja died due to freezing temperatures in Al-Shati refugee camp, marking the second infant death from cold in a single day.

According to Almasirah correspondent Dua’a Rouqa, five Palestinians were killed and others injured after a house collapsed in Beit Lahia’s Bir al-Na’ja area in northern Gaza. Two more people died when a wall collapsed near Palestine Stadium in western Gaza City. Another person was killed and one injured when a wall fell onto tents sheltering displaced families near Taj Mall.

Civil defense teams in northern Gaza reported recovering the body of a victim and rescuing two injured children from the rubble of the Badran family home in Bir al-Na’ja in Jabalia, with efforts ongoing to locate additional trapped individuals. Crews also responded to the collapse of tents in Abu Jabal camp, injuring two children.

In Gaza City, civil defense units evacuated residents of the Darbiyyeh family home after the building’s entrance collapsed in Sheikh Radwan neighborhood. Additional evacuations took place in the surrounding areas of Karamah Square and Jabalia due to structural collapses caused by the storm.

The number of storm-related fatalities in the past 24 hours has now reached ten, in addition to the death of eight-month-old infant Rahaf Abu Jazar on Thursday in Khan Younis due to the severe cold. Local authorities reported the collapse of ten homes as a result of the extreme weather.

Thousands of displaced families are living in makeshift tents soaked by persistent rain and torn by high winds, many of which are constructed from thin fabric and plastic sheets. Rouqa reported that the Israeli enemy continues to block the entry of shelter supplies—including tents, caravans, blankets, and winter clothing—in violation of ceasefire conditions.

Government sources stated that more than 22,000 tents have been damaged by the storm, with emergency shelters collapsing and temporary water networks failing or mixing with rainwater, creating heightened health risks. Meanwhile, Israeli enemy violations and explosions along Gaza’s eastern border continue to exacerbate the sense of insecurity for residents.

Health authorities warn that additional deaths are likely, particularly among children, the elderly, and the chronically ill, due to exposure to freezing temperatures inside flooded displacement tents.

The Gaza Strip thus faces a dual crisis: the destructive impact of the ongoing storm and the severe humanitarian fallout of the recent Zionist aggression, leaving civilians in a state of acute vulnerability amid a lack of essential relief and international support.

The storm’s devastation comes as Gaza struggles to recover from months of Zionist bombardment that destroyed shelter infrastructure, displaced more than a million residents, and crippled municipal and civil defense capabilities. 

With the blockade still restricting the entry of shelter materials, fuel, medical supplies, and winter equipment, displaced families remain exposed to life-threatening conditions.