As the cold winds of winter swept through the Gaza Strip in December 2025, tragedy struck its youngest and most vulnerable. Two-week-old Mohammed Khalil Abu al-Khair became the latest victim of a crisis that has been deepening for years. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, Mohammed died of severe hypothermia on December 16, after his tiny body could not withstand the relentless cold, heavy rains, and fierce winds that battered the region. His death, while heartbreaking, is far from isolated—at least 13 Palestinian children have died in recent days due to the harsh weather, a grim toll that includes infants like Rahaf Abu Jazar (just 8 months old), 9-year-old Hadeel al-Masri, and another infant, Taim al-Khawaja.
Storm Byron, as it’s been named, has exacerbated the suffering of Gaza’s residents, many of whom have already been weakened by more than two years of bombardment, invasion, and siege. The storm’s impact has been devastating: at least 14 people perished in its wake last week, while more than 53,000 displacement tents were partially or fully flooded, swept away, or torn apart by powerful winds. Thirteen buildings collapsed under the strain, leaving families with nowhere to turn. "People have reportedly died due to the collapse of damaged buildings where families were sheltering. Children have reportedly died from exposure to the cold," the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said in a social media post, as reported by Maktoob Media. "This must stop. Aid must be allowed in at scale, now."
But help, it seems, is not arriving at the scale needed. The Israeli government continues to restrict the entry of shelter materials—tents, mobile homes, and other essentials—despite a ceasefire agreement that was supposed to take effect on October 10. UNRWA, the UN agency tasked with supporting Palestinian refugees and described by the United Nations as best suited to distribute supplies, has repeatedly been blocked from bringing aid directly into Gaza. The result? Thousands of families are left shivering in makeshift shelters, exposed to the elements and at risk of illness or worse.
Conditions are dire, and the numbers tell a sobering story. Since the fragile ceasefire began on October 11, at least 393 Palestinians have been killed and 1,074 wounded in Israeli attacks, according to the latest figures from Gaza’s Health Ministry. But the suffering runs deeper. The blockade, first imposed by Israel in 2007 and tightened further after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack, has pushed the region to the brink. According to Common Dreams, since October 2023, Israeli forces have killed at least 70,667 Palestinians in Gaza. More than 170,000 have been wounded, and approximately 9,500 are missing and presumed dead, buried beneath the rubble of their former homes.
Displacement is now a fact of daily life for most of Gaza’s more than two million residents. Many have been forced to move multiple times, seeking safety that remains heartbreakingly elusive. The winter’s onslaught has only deepened their misery. Jonathan Crickx, communications chief for UNICEF, painted a bleak picture after visiting a displaced persons camp in Gaza. “Everything was completely damp... The mattresses were wet; the children’s clothes were wet. It’s extremely difficult to live in those conditions,” he recounted, quoted by Common Dreams. He went on to warn, “With the very poor hygiene conditions and very limited sanitation system available, we are extremely concerned to see the spreading of waterborne diseases.”
It’s not just hypothermia that threatens Gaza’s children. Hunger and malnutrition are ever-present dangers. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported that at least 463 Palestinians—including 157 children—have died from malnutrition since October 2023. Experts cited by Common Dreams describe this as a "deliberately planned Israeli starvation campaign." The blockade has prevented the entry of essential medical supplies and nutrients required to sustain pregnancies and ensure safe childbirth, as well as to treat the sick and injured.
Healthcare infrastructure has been decimated. OHCHR noted on Tuesday that “94% of Gaza’s hospitals have been damaged or destroyed, leaving pregnant women and newborns without essential care.” The consequences are dire: expectant mothers and their babies are left without access to the most basic medical attention, compounding the risks posed by hunger, cold, and disease.
The international community has taken notice, but action remains limited. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including forced starvation and murder. Yet, for the people on the ground, such legal moves offer little immediate relief from the daily struggle to survive.
Storm Byron’s impact has been especially harsh for those living in tents or damaged shelters. As of December 16, thousands were grappling with flooded camps, soaked bedding, and a lack of dry clothing. The situation is so severe that, as experts have pointed out, hypothermia can be deadly even at temperatures above 60°F (15°C) when people are as exposed as those in Gaza. For infants like Mohammed Khalil Abu al-Khair, these conditions proved fatal.
While the world watches, the suffering continues. Hunger, cold, and disease stalk the camps. Displaced families, already traumatized by years of conflict and siege, now face the added threat of winter’s chill. The United Nations and humanitarian organizations have sounded the alarm, insisting that “aid must be allowed in at scale, now.” But the Israeli blockade remains in place, and the entry of life-saving supplies is still being blocked, despite the urgent needs and the promises made under the ceasefire agreement.
For Gaza’s children, the cold is not just an inconvenience—it’s a deadly threat. Their stories, like that of Mohammed Khalil Abu al-Khair, serve as stark reminders of the human cost of conflict and blockade. As winter deepens and the storm clouds linger, the need for action grows ever more pressing. The world’s attention may shift, but for Gaza’s families, the struggle for warmth, food, and safety is an unending reality.
Amid the devastation, humanitarian agencies, local health workers, and international observers continue to call for immediate and unhindered access to aid. They warn that without urgent intervention, more lives—especially those of children—will be lost to the cold, hunger, and preventable disease. The question remains: will the world respond in time, or will Gaza’s winter of suffering continue unchecked?