A fierce winter front has torn through Gaza, turning already fragile living conditions into a deadly test of survival. Over the past day, collapsing homes and waterlogged tents have claimed the lives of ten people, many of them children, as relentless rain and bitter cold swept through neighbourhoods where families have been forced to seek refuge in unsafe structures.

Hospitals reported that a baby and a young girl died after prolonged exposure to the cold, while rescue teams worked through flooded streets and unstable debris to reach others trapped beneath fallen walls and roofs. In several districts, entire houses gave way under the weight of rain-soaked damage, bringing families into emergency wards with serious injuries. Makeshift shelters, erected as a last resort after months of destruction, proved no match for the storm.

The scale of the damage has prompted renewed warnings from emergency services about the dangers of remaining inside cracked or waterlogged buildings. Large parts of the city are now dotted with structures weakened by repeated bombardment and neglect, leaving residents with little choice but to shelter in places known to be unsafe. As rain continues to seep into foundations and tents alike, the risk of further collapses remains acute.

Beyond the immediate toll, the storm has exposed the wider reality of life under a genocidal war that has stripped hundreds of thousands of people of adequate housing. Vast tent camps, many already worn beyond use, have been inundated, offering little protection against freezing temperatures. With severe restrictions on essential supplies and repair materials, families face the winter with diminishing options and mounting fear that the weather itself may become another silent killer.