GAZA CITY: Under rain-soaked tents and with children shivering from the cold, Gaza’s displaced welcomed the new year with grief and despair. After 15 months of relentless conflict and widespread devastation, they face one of the harshest winters in recent memory.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA, as the world ushered in 2025 with fireworks and festivities, Gaza’s skies were illuminated by explosions from airstrikes. Torrential rains compounded the plight of tens of thousands of displaced families, inundating their makeshift tents and destroying scant belongings. Spirits are weighed down by another year of unrelenting tragedy.
On New Year’s Eve, relentless rain turned Gaza’s displacement camps into muddy quagmires. More than 1,500 tents were flooded, as reported by Gaza’s Civil Defense Directorate, leaving families scrambling to salvage what little they had. For many, their few blankets and clothes were soaked beyond use.
The consequences have been devastating. In just two days, seven displaced individuals, including six children, succumbed to the freezing temperatures. The United Nations has warned that the death toll could rise. Many of Gaza’s displaced lack access to winter essentials, and continued destruction of homes from airstrikes offers little hope for adequate shelter.
Umm Thaer Al-Masri, who fled her home in Beit Lahia for a displacement camp in Gaza City, described her flooded tent and the dire conditions she and her injured son endure daily. ‘Children are dying from the cold,’ she told Anadolu Agency. ‘We don’t have enough blankets, clothes, or even a dry place to sleep. We left everything behind when we fled under the bombs.’
Her plea to the world was poignant: ‘We are a people who love life, peace, and safety. We don’t want war. Stop the genocide against us.’
For Ahmed Al-Sous, another displaced resident, the recent rains turned even a school-turned-shelter into a nightmare. ‘The water seeped into the classrooms, soaking our blankets and mattresses,’ he explained. ‘We spent the entire night trying to keep the water out, but it was futile. Now we have nothing dry left.’
Many families, like Al-Sous’s, face no alternatives. Children are forced to wear wet clothes for hours, leading to respiratory illnesses and other health issues. A mother, who preferred not to be named, said her children could no longer endure the frigid temperatures without adequate winter clothing or blankets.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached alarming levels. With the latest storm leaving destruction in its wake, challenges for aid organizations, including international agencies, continue to grow.