Gaza Herald_ At least 14 Palestinians, among them three young children, have died from hypothermia and exposure as Storm Byron slams the Gaza Strip with freezing temperatures, relentless rainfall, and powerful winds, a disaster made deadlier by Israel’s blockade and the collapse of Gaza’s infrastructure.
Humanitarian officials say the storm has pushed already unbearable conditions past the breaking point for more than one million displaced Palestinians forced to live in flimsy tents and shredded tarps, while Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continue to block urgently needed supplies, including proper winter tents, heating materials, and insulation.
Infants and Children Among the First to Die
Medical workers reported that eight-month-old Rahaf Abu Jazar was the first recorded casualty of the storm. Freezing floodwater rushed into her family’s tent in Khan Younis, soaking the bedding and chilling her tiny body. Her parents struggled through the night to keep her warm and dry, but by dawn her temperature had dropped beyond recovery.
In Gaza City, baby Taim al-Khawaja died early Friday after spending the night in a destroyed, unheated home in the Shati refugee camp. With windows blown out and walls cracked from previous Israeli strikes, the structure offered no protection from the icy winds.
A third child, nine-year-old Hadeel al-Masri, died inside an overcrowded shelter west of Gaza City. Doctors said she was already weakened by months of displacement, hunger, and illness, and her body could not endure the storm’s relentless cold.
Ministry Confirms Rising Death Toll as Damaged Homes Collapse
The Palestinian Ministry of Interior and National Security confirmed that at least 14 people, including women and children, have died since Wednesday. The ministry said that Storm Byron unleashed torrential rainfall and strong winds, causing the collapse of homes already shattered by Israeli bombing.
At least 13 bomb-damaged houses collapsed overnight, killing several Palestinians who had been sheltering inside what remained of their destroyed homes.
Aid Restrictions Turn a Storm into a Humanitarian Catastrophe
Health workers warn that the death toll is likely to rise in the coming days. Displacement camps across Gaza, built from tarpaulin, plastic sheets, cardboard, and scraps of wood, cannot withstand the storm. Floodwaters have poured into tents, soaking clothing and bedding. In many areas, people are sleeping on mud.
Families say they have no blankets, no heating, no dry clothing, the direct result of Israel’s continued restrictions on shelter materials and winter aid.
“These deaths were preventable,” one doctor said. “Children are freezing because the world is watching and doing nothing.”
As Storm Byron continues to batter the blockaded enclave, Palestinians are left to fight the cold with nothing but their hands, their bodies, and each other , enduring a crisis shaped not only by nature, but by siege, destruction, and deliberate deprivation.
