The children of Gaza between the fire of aggression and the frost of the tents. A tragedy that is renewed every winter

The chapters of the humanitarian tragedy in the Gaza Strip continue as the harshest winter in years begins, as the tents housing hundreds of thousands of displaced people have turned into a deadly environment, especially for children and infants who lack any means to protect them from the bitter cold.

 In occupied Palestine, cold becomes a direct cause of death

In recent weeks, the Ministry of Health in Gaza has documented the death of a number of children and infants as a result of extreme cold and lack of heating means in tents that do not protect themselves from wind or rain.

 UN reports indicated that at least eight newborns died due to low temperatures in just one month of the winter of 2025, in addition to dozens of children who died in harsh weather conditions inside displacement camps. 

In a subsequent cold wave, the Ministry of Health announced the death of seven infants in just 48 hours, including a two-month-old baby, after her body was frozen in a tent with no means of heating, in a scene that sums up the fragility of life in those camps.

Shelters for displaced people turn into mud puddles

Recent storms have exposed the fragility of the shelter infrastructure in the Strip, with thousands of tents damaged or completely collapsed, while large areas of displacement camps have been flooded, forcing families to spend the night in the open or under wet blankets. 

The UN has stressed that most of the existing tents are "unfit for use in winter conditions" and that the lack of basic shelter materials – such as insulation tents, blankets, and winter clothing – is exacerbating the suffering of displaced people, especially children.

UN warns of missing aid

UN humanitarian coordinators described the situation as a "growing catastrophe", noting that children in Gaza are "at risk of dying from the cold before illness and hunger". 

UN reports also stressed that restrictions on aid entry and the lack of fuel needed to run heating in hospitals and shelters make every cold wave a direct threat to the lives of thousands.

International organizations have also indicated that more than one million people are in need of safe shelter, at a time when aid is being delayed or blocked at crossings.

 Humanitarian organizations working in the Gaza Strip confirmed that the aid arrives cover only a small part of the actual needs, and relief teams have spoken of families who are forced to burn plastic or wet pieces of wood to keep their children warm, exposing them to additional health risks such as suffocation and poisoning. 

Between a tent that does not protect itself from the rain, and a long night without warmth, the tragedy of Gaza is embodied in its ugliest form, and with the continuation of aggression, the restriction of aid, and the absence of a political solution, this year's Gaza winter is a new chapter of the usual suffering that has not found anything to stop it so far.