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Conditions in Gaza worsen as winds and hypothermia kill 5
Winter storms kill displaced Palestinians in Gaza left to shelter in flimsy tents by ceasefire abuses.
At least four people have been killed as winter winds sent walls collapsing onto flimsy tents sheltering Palestinians displaced by the genocidal war in Gaza.
Dangerous living conditions persist in Gaza more than two years after the start of the devastating Israeli bombardment and amid continuing aid shortfalls. A ceasefire has been in effect since October 10, but aid groups say Palestinians still lack the shelter needed to withstand frequent winter storms.
Three members of one family – 72-year-old Mohammed Hamouda, his 15-year-old granddaughter and his daughter-in-law – were killed when an eight-metre (26ft) high wall collapsed onto their tent in a coastal area along the Mediterranean shore of Gaza City, authorities at al-Shifa Hospital said. At least five others were injured.
A second woman was killed when a wall fell on her tent in the western part of the city, the hospital added.
The Gaza Health Ministry said on Tuesday that a one-year-old boy died of hypothermia overnight in the central town of Deir el-Balah, the seventh person to die of cold since the start of winter. Other victims include a baby just seven days old and a four-year-old girl, whose deaths were announced on Monday.
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said at least 100 children less than the age of 18 – 60 boys and 40 girls – have been killed since the truce began, as a result of military operations, including drone and air attacks, tank shelling and the use of live ammunition.
Those figures, he said, cover only incidents where sufficient details have been compiled to warrant recording, and the true toll is expected to be higher. He added that hundreds of children have been wounded.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it exchanged fire on Tuesday with six people spotted near its troops deployed in southern Gaza, killing at least two in western Rafah.
The Gaza Health Ministry says more than 440 people have been killed by Israeli fire and their bodies brought to hospitals since the ceasefire came into force. It maintains detailed casualty records that are regarded as reliable by UN agencies and independent experts.
Gaza’s population of more than two million is struggling to keep out the cold and weather the winter storms amid shortages of humanitarian aid and a lack of more substantial temporary housing, which is desperately needed during the winter months.
The majority of people are living in makeshift tents after their homes were reduced to rubble.
When storms hit the territory, Palestinian rescue workers warn people against seeking shelter inside damaged buildings for fear they may collapse. Aid groups say not enough shelter materials are entering Gaza.
