DaysofPal- The Storm Byron has swept through Gaza, killing at least 14 people, including children, and leaving many others injured, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Interior and National Security.
Strong winds, heavy rainfall, and unstable structures have proven fatal for displaced families sheltering in damaged homes and tents, amid a continued Israeli suffocating siege that prevents caravans, shift-homes, and reconstruction materials from getting into the Gaza Strip.
The families, who are already uprooted by the Israeli genocidal war, are now facing deadly building collapses, flooding, and freezing as a powerful storm batters the Gaza Strip.
Five people lost their lives overnight into Friday when a house housing displaced civilians collapsed in Bir an-Naaja, northern Gaza.
At daybreak, two more were killed after a wall fell onto tents in Gaza City’s Remal area. Earlier, one person died when a structure collapsed in Shati refugee camp, while a newborn in al-Mawasi died due to the bitter cold.
Hospitals across Gaza report a growing number of deaths caused by exposure. Medical sources at al-Shifa Hospital confirmed that nine-year-old Hadeel al-Masri died in a shelter west of Gaza City, and infant Taim al-Khawaja died in Shati camp.
In Khan Younis, eight-month-old Rahaf Abu Jazar died after floodwaters inundated her family’s tent.
Relatives said Rahaf’s family had been living in a roofless, bomb-damaged house after an Israeli air strike destroyed their home. Her grandfather recalled rushing her to the hospital after her mother noticed she had turned blue, but her dangerously low body temperature led to organ failure and death.
Reporting from al-Mawasi, Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim al-Khalili said the storm has transformed fragile shelters into deadly hazards.
Officials warn that ongoing rain, flooding, and hail threaten around 850,000 displaced people sheltering at more than 760 sites, many of them children. Numerous tents have been destroyed, leaving families exposed and without protection.
Large portions of Gaza’s coastline have also collapsed, putting tents pitched near the sea at further risk.
Al-Khalili said families repeatedly displaced during more than two years of bombardment are now enduring a new layer of suffering. With tents collapsing and freezing temperatures setting in, many have nowhere left to go, forcing yet another wave of displacement even after fighting has paused.
From Gaza City, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary reported that at least 10 houses collapsed within 24 hours, with many more at risk. Residents remain inside unsafe buildings due to the absence of tents, tarpaulins, or alternative shelter, as the Israeli forces continue to block winter supplies. She said most of Gaza’s population is effectively homeless.
Civil defense teams recovered one body and rescued two injured children from rubble in Bir an-Naaja, while others are believed to be trapped beneath collapsed buildings.
Since the storm began, emergency crews have received over 4,300 distress calls and documented at least 12 collapses of structures previously damaged by Israeli strikes.
Despite severe shortages of fuel and equipment, rescue operations are ongoing. Gaza’s Interior Ministry urged international pressure on the Israeli occupation to allow essential aid and shelter materials into the Strip, calling the situation a warning to the world.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem described the storm-related deaths as a continuation of Israeli genocidal war, saying the collapsing homes and drowning children reflect the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe left behind.
He said the suffering shows the Israeli war continues in another form and called for urgent international action to stop what he described as genocide and to provide shelters that can protect civilians from rain and cold.
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