For the residents of the Gaza Strip, winter is no longer just a season of low temperatures and rain. After nearly three years of war, destruction, and repeated displacement, this year’s cold season brings new health risks to a reality where residents already suffer from inadequate shelter, contaminated water, deteriorating sanitation services, and a lack of medical care.
International organizations warn that the combination of cold, rain, and potential flooding, coupled with flimsy tents, overcrowding, and malnutrition, could turn the coming months into a new test of the population’s resilience, especially that of children.
For the residents of the Gaza Strip, winter is no longer just a season of low temperatures and rain. After nearly three years of war, destruction, and repeated displacement, this year’s cold season adds new health risks to a reality where residents already suffer from inadequate shelter, contaminated water, deteriorating sanitation services, and a lack of medical care.
International organizations warn that the combination of cold, rain, and potential flooding, coupled with flimsy tents, overcrowding, and malnutrition, could turn the coming months into a new test of the population’s resilience, especially that of children.
A UNICEF report published last September on the situation in the Gaza Strip stated that approximately 84% of the population—more than 1.76 million people—still live in overcrowded displacement camps or damaged and inadequate shelters, with little protection from the bitter cold, heavy rains, and flooding.
These conditions expose children to the risk of hypothermia, respiratory infections, and waterborne diseases, increasing the likelihood of their spread. As a result of these conditions, during the last winter in Gaza, official reports from UNICEF, the child welfare organization, stated that at least 11 children, including infants, died due to hypothermia, attributing the causes to a lack of urgent preparation and early action, warning that children weakened by displacement, malnutrition and recurring illnesses will face another winter in 2026 in extremely dangerous conditions.
