In the battered Gaza Strip, a fierce winter storm has swept through the region, compounding the misery of a population already reeling from years of conflict, destruction, and displacement. As heavy rains and biting cold battered tents, streets, and even hospitals, the humanitarian crisis reached new depths, with the most vulnerable paying the highest price.
According to ABC News, the storm began around December 12, 2025, bringing severe flooding to much of Gaza. Images and videos circulating on social media and news outlets show makeshift tents submerged, shops inundated, and hospital corridors awash with rainwater. The Hamas-run Palestinian Civil Defense reported that at least 15 partially damaged houses collapsed since the storm’s onset, resulting in 12 deaths. Tragically, these numbers would rise as the days went on.
The destruction wrought by the storm is set against a backdrop of already staggering devastation. The United Nations has warned that approximately 92 percent of residential buildings in Gaza are now either totally or partially destroyed. With so many structures weakened by months of bombardment and neglect, the risk of further collapses looms large as the relentless rain and wind continue.
Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest medical facility, was not spared. On December 16, the hospital’s director issued a statement describing how the emergency and operating departments had become flooded. “There has been a significant increase in the admission of children and patients with chronic illnesses to the hospital as a result of the weather systems,” the director explained, highlighting a surge in weather-related illnesses among the already fragile population.
The storm has also aggravated chronic shortages of medical supplies and essential services. Even after a ceasefire deal was reached between Israel and Hamas in October, aid organizations and U.N. agencies have accused Israel of restricting the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza. Israel, for its part, has denied these allegations. On December 17, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) stated on X, “Far more aid is entering than Gaza requires.” The reality on the ground, however, tells a different story for many residents.
Among the latest victims of the cold snap was infant Saeed Abdeen, who died in the Khan Younis area due to exposure, as reported by the WAFA news agency. Medical sources said the number of deaths admitted to hospitals as a result of the storm and severe cold had risen to 13 by December 18. The humanitarian situation is especially dire for children and displaced families living in flimsy tents, lacking proper shelter, heating, or medical care. Fuel shortages have made it nearly impossible for many to stay warm, and the stormy, rainy weather has only exacerbated their plight.
“The residents of the Gaza Strip are suffering from a lack of shelter and medical care, and a shortage of heating due to fuel scarcity, amidst a stormy, cold, and rainy weather system,” MNA reported, underscoring the daily struggle for survival faced by hundreds of thousands.
These weather-related deaths add to the devastating human toll that Gaza has endured since the escalation of conflict in October 2023. According to the Palestinian health ministry, as cited by AhlulBayt News Agency and corroborated by multiple outlets, the death toll in Gaza had risen to 70,669 as of December 18, 2025. The number of wounded reached 171,165, with the majority of victims being women and children. The ministry’s daily updates reflect a grim reality: in the 24 hours before December 18, hospitals received the body of one civilian and 13 wounded individuals.
Since the ceasefire agreement that took effect on October 11, 2025, the violence has not ceased entirely. At least 395 Palestinians have been killed, 1,088 injured, and the bodies of 634 victims have been recovered, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. The ceasefire, brokered as part of a U.S.-led initiative following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas, was intended to mark the beginning of a return to normalcy and the repatriation of displaced persons to northern Gaza. Yet, the ongoing hostilities and dire living conditions have made recovery a distant hope.
In the words of medical sources cited by multiple agencies, “the number of deaths recorded in hospitals as a result of the low-pressure system and severe cold in the Gaza Strip has risen to 13.” Among those, young children and the elderly are the most at risk, with many lacking the basic necessities to withstand such harsh weather. The reality for many families is a daily scramble for warmth, food, and safety, with little relief in sight.
Amidst the chaos, rescue and ambulance teams have struggled to reach victims trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings. As noted by regional news outlets, a number of victims remain unaccounted for, their fate unknown as the elements and ongoing conflict complicate rescue efforts. The image of people gathering during a search and rescue operation at the site of a partially destroyed house in Gaza City on December 16, 2025, has become emblematic of the struggle to survive in a landscape marked by devastation and uncertainty.
The situation is further complicated by competing narratives over the flow of aid and the implementation of the ceasefire. Humanitarian organizations allege that aid deliveries remain insufficient and are hampered by bureaucratic and logistical hurdles. Israeli officials, meanwhile, maintain that they are facilitating more aid than is needed. This disconnect has left many Gazans caught in a web of politics, bureaucracy, and violence, with their basic needs unmet.
For the international community, the crisis in Gaza is a stark reminder of the intersection between conflict, displacement, and environmental vulnerability. As severe weather events become more frequent and intense, populations already weakened by war and deprivation are among the least equipped to cope. In Gaza, the winter storm has laid bare the fragility of life for those with nowhere left to turn.
With the death toll from both conflict and cold continuing to rise, and with so many still living in precarious conditions, the need for sustained humanitarian assistance and a durable peace has never been more urgent. Until then, the people of Gaza must weather not only the storms of war, but also those of nature—often with little more than hope and resilience to sustain them.
