Gaza: Cold kills eight-month-old amid Israeli blockade
Shafaq News – Gaza
Two infants died from freezing temperatures in Khan Younis on Thursday as powerful winter storms swept the Gaza Strip, flooding displacement camps and bringing down several homes, Palestinian media outlets reported.
The outlets cited several storm-related collapses in Gaza City, including a partial failure and a three-story building that fell under heavy rain in Al-Nasr, as well as an inhabited home that gave way in Al-Zaytoun. In Tel Al-Hawa, an apartment also collapsed as the storm intensified.
Civil Defense teams reported extensive flooding across Khan Younis, Deir Al-Balah, Al-Nuseirat, and Gaza City, where tents failed under rising water. Crews evacuated families from 14 flooded tents in Al-Mawasi and relocated them to safer areas.
الوضع المأساوي في خانيونس في خيام النازحين بمدينة خانيونس بفعل المنخفض الجوي. pic.twitter.com/V1Cx2v5aZ5
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) December 11, 2025
As temperatures dropped, the storm’s impact on children grew more evident, with Palestinian media sharing footage of a father carrying his eight-month-old daughter, Rahaf Abu Jazr, after she died from the cold, adding to the cumulative toll of 70,373 killed and 171,079 wounded since the Israeli war began on October 7, 2023.
محزن جدا ..الرضيعة رهف أبو جزر (8 شهور) من خانيونس، والتي استشهدت نتيجة البرد الشديد بعد ان غمرت مياه الأمطار الخيمة التي تعيش بها. pic.twitter.com/WnN7vNvGkJ
— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) December 11, 2025
Humanitarian agencies warned of rapidly worsening conditions. UNRWA reported a collapse of Gaza’s sewage network, creating “lakes of untreated sewage” around overcrowded shelters and increasing disease risks. The Palestinian NGOs Network linked cold-related deaths and collapsing tents to the Israeli blockade and prolonged conflict, noting persistent malnutrition documented by UNICEF.
In #Gaza, “the sewer system has collapsed completely. There are lakes of untreated sewage, and people are living amongst this,” our @UN_JWFowler tells @TRTWorld.UNRWA teams continue to clear waste, pump sewage, and provide healthcare to displaced families under extreme… pic.twitter.com/m9cPYp7ih7
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) December 11, 2025
Meanwhile, Hamas accused Israel of obstructing the entry of essential shelter supplies and held it responsible for the conditions facing displaced families. The movement urged mediators to enforce the ceasefire’s humanitarian terms, called for reopening the Rafah crossing, and appealed for broader regional and international support to ensure unrestricted aid access.
