Rabat – At least 14 Palestinians, including three children, have died from hypothermia and exposure as Storm Byron brings freezing temperatures, heavy rain, and strong winds to the Gaza Strip.
The storm has worsened conditions for more than a million displaced Palestinians living in makeshift shelters as Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) prevent much-needed aid, including tents, from entering Gaza.
Medical sources say eight-month-old Rahaf Abu Jazar was the first to die, after icy floodwater seeped into her family’s tent in Khan Younis. Her body temperature plummeted as her parents struggled to keep her dry in the storm.
In Gaza City, baby Taim al-Khawaja also succumbed to the cold early Friday after spending the night in an unheated and badly damaged home in the Shati refugee camp.
A third victim, nine-year-old Hadeel al-Masri, died inside a crowded shelter west of Gaza City. Doctors said her body could not withstand the prolonged exposure to freezing wind and drenched bedding inside the camp.
The Palestinian Ministry of Interior and National Security confirmed that at least 14 people, including women and children, have died in Gaza since Wednesday, saying the storm has unleashed heavy rainfall and winds on Gaza and caused thecollapse of homes.
At least 13 homes that were damaged by the IOF’s bombs collapsed overnight due to strong winds and flooding, claiming the lives of several Palestinians.
Health workers warn that more children could die in the coming days as displacement camps, built from tarpaulin, plastic sheets, and scrap wood, are overwhelmed by rain and battered by winds.
Many families lack blankets, heating, or even dry ground to sleep on, after Israel continued to restrict the entry of vital shelter materials.
With temperatures dropping and winter storms intensifying, humanitarian agencies say Gaza’s displaced population is facing “life-threatening” conditions.