Severe winter storms, accompanied by strong winds and heavy rainfall, have caused widespread destruction to makeshift displacement camps across the Gaza Strip, leaving thousands of Palestinian families exposed to freezing temperatures amid Israel’s ongoing blockade.

In a statement posted on X on Wednesday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said that harsh weather conditions have damaged and destroyed large numbers of temporary tents and shelters, many of which were already fragile after months of war and displacement.

“Severe storms, strong winds, and rain in Gaza have damaged and destroyed make-shift tents,” UNRWA said. “The Israeli authorities continue to block UNRWA from directly bringing aid into the Gaza Strip – including enough shelter supplies for hundreds of thousands of people. Tents and tarpaulins are desperately needed. Aid must be allowed in unimpeded.”

The destruction comes as Gaza’s displaced population faces increasingly deadly winter conditions. Local health officials and humanitarian organizations have repeatedly warned that exposure to cold, lack of adequate shelter, and shortages of heating materials are placing vulnerable groups—particularly children, the elderly, and the sick—at grave risk.

In recent weeks, multiple deaths have been reported among displaced Palestinians due to hypothermia and cold-related illnesses, especially in overcrowded camps where families are forced to sleep on wet ground without proper insulation, blankets, or heating. Infants and young children have been among the most vulnerable, as relentless rain floods tents and temperatures drop sharply overnight.

Medical workers in Gaza say the situation is exacerbated by Israel’s blockade, which has severely restricted the entry of shelter materials, fuel, blankets, and winter clothing. Hospitals and clinics, already overwhelmed by war casualties and shortages of medicine, are struggling to respond to the surge in cold-related illnesses.

UNRWA and other aid agencies have stressed that Israel’s continued obstruction of humanitarian access is worsening an already catastrophic situation. Despite repeated international appeals, large quantities of tents, tarpaulins, and other essential shelter supplies remain barred from entering Gaza, leaving hundreds of thousands of displaced people without protection from the elements.

Humanitarian groups warn that the combination of winter storms, mass displacement, and the blockade is creating a lethal environment, turning cold weather into another weapon against Gaza’s civilian population.

As winter intensifies, aid agencies continue to call for the immediate and unimpeded entry of humanitarian assistance, warning that further delays will lead to additional preventable deaths and deepen the suffering of a population already enduring the devastating consequences of war, siege, and displacement. (ILKHA)