As winter descends on the Gaza Strip, nearly 2 million displaced Palestinians face severe challenges in protecting themselves from the biting cold, wind, and rain after a devastating 14-month war with Israel.
Aid workers and residents report severe shortages of essential supplies, including blankets, warm clothing, and firewood. Makeshift shelters of tents and tarps, heavily worn after months of use, offer little protection against the worsening weather.
Shadia Aiyada, displaced from Rafah to Muwasi, relies on a single blanket and a hot water bottle to keep her eight children warm in their fragile tent. “We fear strong winds could collapse our tents while we’re inside,” she said, adding that her children, who fled with only summer clothing, now depend on borrowed clothes from relatives to survive the cold.
Nighttime temperatures in Gaza often drop to the mid-to-high single digits Celsius, causing concerns about illness among children. Aid organizations, including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), warn that at least 945,000 people urgently need winter supplies such as blankets, heaters, and clothing. Rising malnutrition and the risk of infectious diseases further compound the crisis.
Despite year-long efforts by UNRWA to prepare for winter, aid has been insufficient. Bureaucratic and logistical hurdles, including a lack of Israeli approval for shipments, have left essential supplies like 22,000 tents in Jordan and 600,000 blankets in Egypt stranded. Many items have since been damaged by weather or looted.
Families like that of Reda Abu Zarada, displaced from northern Gaza, endure freezing nights in threadbare tents. “We sleep with the children in our arms to keep them warm,” she said, fearing that one day she might wake up to find a child frozen to death. Rats and frost exacerbate their already dire living conditions.
The International Rescue Committee echoes these concerns, noting that approvals from multiple authorities delay the distribution of children’s winter clothing. The limited availability of aid, combined with soaring market prices for winter supplies, leaves many without recourse.
Meanwhile, Israeli authorities claim to have facilitated shipments of heaters, blankets, and tents into Gaza. However, aid organizations emphasize that the scale of assistance remains far below the overwhelming need.
The ongoing conflict, sparked by Hamas’ October 2023 attack on southern Israel, has claimed over 45,000 Palestinian lives, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, with more than half reported to be women and children.
Negotiations for a ceasefire continue, but until peace and stability are restored, displaced families in Gaza remain at the mercy of winter’s unforgiving grip.