Winter has brought a new wave of hardship to Gaza as powerful storms strike a region already shattered by war. According to UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, the humanitarian impact of the recent low-pressure weather system is “man-made,” resulting from months of relentless conflict, forced displacement and restricted access to essential resources.
With homes destroyed and infrastructure devastated, large portions of Gaza’s population have been forced to live in fragile tents, makeshift shelters or damaged buildings. When heavy rain and powerful winds swept across the territory, thousands of these shelters collapsed or sustained serious damage.
Data from Gaza’s Protection Cluster indicates that between December 10 and 17, at least 17 buildings collapsed while more than 42,000 tents and temporary shelters were destroyed or damaged. This has left at least 235,000 people struggling without adequate protection from the cold, wind and rain.
The situation has worsened further as new waves of harsh weather continue to hit the region, resulting in at least two deaths and widespread destruction of remaining shelters. Emergency services warn that the risk of illness, hypothermia and structural failures is escalating rapidly.
This humanitarian disaster unfolds alongside a devastating toll from Israeli military operations since October 2023, which have killed over 71,200 Palestinians and injured more than 171,200 others. Large sections of Gaza’s housing, healthcare facilities and essential services remain crippled, leaving little support for those now exposed to the winter cold.
Although a ceasefire was declared, border closures and restrictions on essential building materials persist, preventing displaced families from rebuilding even basic shelter. Nearly 2.4 million people remain trapped in deteriorating living conditions.
Lazzarini emphasized that the suffering now witnessed in Gaza is not inevitable; it is the consequence of continued policy decisions and the failure to ensure civilian protection. He called on world leaders and humanitarian actors to act swiftly to open access corridors, allow shelter materials into Gaza and intensify humanitarian support.
Human rights organizations warn that if immediate assistance does not arrive, winter could bring further catastrophic loss of life. Children sleeping in torn tents, families huddling in bomb-damaged buildings and hospitals struggling without full capacity illustrate a crisis that continues to deepen.
For Gaza’s civilians, survival now means enduring both conflict and the cold. As storms continue to batter the region, the world faces a critical question — whether it will allow this “man-made winter crisis” to worsen, or step forward to protect the lives of hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people.