A powerful winter storm sweeping across the Gaza Strip has pushed an already dire humanitarian situation to the brink, with UN agencies reporting rising deaths, mass displacement, and failing shelter infrastructure.
OCHA, UNRWA, and the Palestinian Civil Defense say early-January storms have exposed hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians to life-threatening conditions. Child deaths linked to cold exposure have been reported, while dozens of residential buildings have collapsed or suffered severe damage.
About 65,000 households were directly affected by the January storms, and more than one million people are in urgent need of emergency shelter assistance. Coastal displacement sites, including Al-Mawasi near Khan Younis, were flooded, forcing families to flee to higher ground.
Aid delivery remains constrained by restrictions on critical supplies, hampering shelter repairs and sanitation efforts. UN officials warn that further storms expected this winter could lead to additional deaths and displacement unless unrestricted humanitarian access is granted immediately.
