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Strong winter winds caused walls to collapse upon fragile tents sheltering people displaced by war in Gaza, claiming the lives of no fewer than four individuals. These deaths underscores the perilous living conditions that continue after more than two years of devastating airstrikes and severe shortages of humanitarian assistance.

Truce Offers No Respite from Harsh Elements

While a truce has been in effect from October, humanitarian organizations report that Palestinians do not have the sufficient housing required to withstand recurring cold-weather events.

Officials at Shifa hospital, which took in the victims, said on this week that the deceased were a pair of adult females, a girl, and a man.

Separately, the local health authority announced on Tuesday that a 12-month-old infant succumbed of extreme cold during the night.

"The world has enabled us to experience loss of life in all its forms," said a family member after the funeral. "It’s true the bombing may have temporarily stopped, but we have seen every conceivable cause of death in the world in the Gaza Strip."

Family Crushed in Tent Collapse

As per Shifa hospital, three people of a one family — 72-year-old Mohamed Hamouda, his 15-year-old granddaughter, and his daughter-in-law — were fatally injured when an 26-foot tall wall collapsed on top of their dwelling in a coastal area of Gaza City. No fewer than 5 others were injured in the event.

Family members on Tuesday started removing the debris that had buried their family and rebuilding the temporary homes for those who remained.

Aid Distribution and Continuing Emergency

The UN and its humanitarian partners were handing out shelter kits, tarps, blankets and clothing as well as food and sanitation items across Gaza, stated the relevant UN coordination body.

Most of Palestinians reside in makeshift shelters since their homes were reduced to ruins during the war. Aid groups say an insufficient amount of shelter materials are entering Gaza during the ceasefire.

Casualty Figures Since the Ceasefire

Local health authorities, part of the Hamas-run government, reports over 440 individuals have been fatally shot by Israeli fire and their bodies brought to hospitals since the truce went into effect. The authority maintains comprehensive fatality records that are considered largely accurate by international bodies and independent experts.

James Elder, representing the UN children's fund, said on Tuesday that at least one hundred children below eighteen years old – 60 boys and 40 girls – had been lost their lives since the ceasefire started due to military operations, including drone strikes, air raids, artillery fire and use of bullets. Those figures, he explained, represented cases where sufficient information had been compiled to justify documentation, but the total toll is believed to be higher. He added that many hundreds of minors had been injured.

"Although 'bombings and shootings have decreased' under the truce, they have not ceased," the spokesperson told journalists at a press conference in the Swiss city by video from Gaza City. "Therefore what the world now calls quiet would be considered a catastrophe in any other place," he concluded.

Third Cold Season of Hardship

Gaza’s residents of more than 2 million individuals has been fighting to keep the freezing temperatures and storms at bay while enduring shortages of humanitarian aid and a lack of sturdier transitional shelter, which is badly needed during the colder season. This marks the 3rd cold season since the conflict involving the state and the group started on a date in late 2023, when fighters stormed into Israeli territory and murdered approximately 1,200 individuals and abducted 251 others into Gaza.

The local health authority reports over 71,400 people have been killed in Israel’s military campaign.