At least one Palestinian was killed and five others were injured on Thursday after a fire broke out in a tent sheltering a displaced family in Gaza City, highlighting the dire and dangerous living conditions facing tens of thousands of displaced civilians across the besieged Strip.

According to local sources, the fire erupted inside one of the displacement tents located in the Yarmouk Stadium camp, an area that has been turned into a makeshift shelter for families forced from their homes by Israel’s ongoing assault. The blaze resulted in the death of one man and left five others suffering from burn injuries, some of them reported to be in serious condition.

The incident is the latest in a series of tragic accidents linked to unsafe shelter conditions, as displaced families rely on fragile tents, open flames, and improvised heating methods amid widespread shortages of electricity, fuel, and basic supplies.

In a separate but equally tragic incident, a young child identified as Malak Rami Ghneim died in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza after suffering from severe cold. The child was living with her displaced family in a tent and was unable to withstand the freezing temperatures brought by an ongoing winter storm sweeping across the region.

Humanitarian organizations have repeatedly warned that Gaza’s displaced population—many of whom have been living in tents for months—are highly vulnerable to extreme weather, fires, and disease due to the lack of proper shelter, heating, and medical care. With much of Gaza’s infrastructure destroyed and aid severely restricted, families are left exposed to deadly risks.

As winter conditions worsen, Palestinian officials and aid groups continue to appeal for urgent humanitarian intervention, warning that without adequate shelter, heating supplies, and medical assistance, more preventable deaths—especially among children and the elderly—are likely to occur. (ILKHA)