At least four displaced Palestinians were killed when strong winds caused walls to collapse onto their tents in Gaza, and a one-year-old boy died of hypothermia, officials said on Tuesday. The deaths highlight the desperate conditions faced by families living in makeshift shelters after more than two years of war.
The dead included two women, a girl and a man, according to Shifa hospital in Gaza City, which received the bodies. Three members of one family — 72-year-old Mohamed Hamouda, his 15-year-old granddaughter and his daughter-in-law — were killed when an eight-metre-high wall collapsed onto their tent in a coastal area. At least five others were injured.
“The world has allowed us to witness death in all its forms,” said Bassel Hamouda after the family funeral. “It’s true the bombing may have temporarily stopped, but we have witnessed every conceivable cause of death in the world in the Gaza Strip.”
A ceasefire has been in effect since October, but aid groups say Palestinians lack adequate shelter to withstand frequent winter storms. The UN and its partners are distributing tents, tarps and blankets, but not enough shelter materials are entering Gaza. The majority of the population lives in makeshift tents after their homes were destroyed.
The Gaza health ministry reported that more than 440 people have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire began. Unicef spokesperson James Elder said at least 100 children under 18 had been killed in that period due to military operations, with the true toll expected to be higher. “What the world now calls calm would be considered a crisis anywhere else,” he said.
