Winter in Gaza is unlike anywhere else. Children and adults walk through icy rain in thin clothes, many without shoes, trembling from the bitter cold and unrelenting fear. For the displaced, the cold has become yet another cause of death.

Amal Habib, a journalist from northern Gaza, described the harrowing scene as her children woke up shivering in the night after rain flooded their home. “My sons woke up swimming—literally swimming—their mattresses soaked, floating in water,” she wrote on Facebook. Living in a makeshift shelter, Amal added, "The water came through the walls and the roof. We drowned."

Her words reflected the despair of countless families. "My children were terrified, trembling from the cold and fear. I held them close, crying for them, for the children in tents, for all the suffering families," Amal concluded.

For over 2 million displaced people in Gaza, many living in inadequate tents, the freezing winter is life-threatening. A mother from Khan Younis shared her anguish: “I can’t sleep, terrified my children’s limbs will freeze. Every night, I fear the cold will claim them.”

On Tuesday, the tragedy became reality. Four-month-old Sanad Wissam Kamel Ayad succumbed to the freezing temperatures. Hundreds of tents were damaged by heavy rain and wind, leaving families scrambling to repair their shelters, dry what little they had, and brace for the next night of relentless cold.