Baby Dies in Flooded Gaza Tent as Israeli Attack Kills Woman in Jabalia

A severe winter storm sweeping the Gaza Strip has compounded the suffering of displaced families, with torrential rains flooding makeshift tent encampments and leading to the tragic death of an eight-month-old baby girl in the southern city of Khan Younis.

Medics and family members reported that Rahaf Abu Jazar succumbed to extreme cold and exposure after rainwater inundated her family’s flimsy tent, leaving little protection from the elements amid already dire humanitarian conditions.

Her distraught mother said she woke to find her daughter motionless, overwhelmed by cold and water hours after heavy rain began inundating tents across the enclave.

This winter storm has left hundreds of tents submerged, soaked bedding and belongings ruined, and thousands of displaced families struggling to keep warm, with health officials warning that more children, elderly individuals, and vulnerable people could die if adequate shelter and aid do not arrive soon.

The crisis underscores the severe hardships faced by civilians after two years of war, widespread destruction of infrastructure, and chronic shortages of humanitarian supplies.

Meanwhile, in northern Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp, an Israeli attack struck an area designated for displaced civilians, killing at least one Palestinian woman and injuring several others, medics and emergency workers said.

The assault occurred despite an existing ceasefire, and came as heavy storms and flooding hampered evacuation and medical efforts. Witnesses described flooded streets and rain-soaked shelters as rescue workers struggled to reach the wounded or transport the dead.

Five additional people were reported wounded in the shelling, which involved both artillery and missile fire according to local sources, exacerbating fear among residents already grappling with destruction, displacement, and worsening winter conditions.

Humanitarian agencies have expressed alarm that weather conditions are deepening Gaza’s crisis, with winter rains, cold temperatures, and insufficient tents or winter supplies increasing the risk of hypothermia, respiratory illness, and death among civilians forced to live in fragile makeshift shelters. Aid groups emphasise the urgent need for tens of thousands of durable tents and unrestricted access for relief deliveries to mitigate the risk to displaced populations suffering from both conflict and extreme weather.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Reuters, Anadolu Agency, Reuters