Gaza newborn dies of exposure while heavy rains cause buildings to collapse

A newborn baby has died of hypothermia in Gaza, while heavy rains have destroyed several already fragile structures in the Palestinian territory.

The health ministry in Gaza announced the death of Mohammed Khalil Abu al-Khair, a two-week-old boy who died due to a severe drop in his body temperature caused by the cold weather. 

The infant's family had brought him to the hospital's intensive care unit two days ago, but he died on Monday. 

Khair is one of 13 children who have died in recent days due to worsening weather conditions, as Storm Byron hits the Palestinian enclave. 

For over two years, Israel has severely restricted the provision of goods into Gaza, including winter clothes and shelters, with only limited supplies entering as part of international aid.

As a result, around two million people face a shortage of winter clothes and blankets. Children are amongst the most vulnerable populations.

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According to a warning by the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (Unrwa), Palestinians across the territory are "freezing to death".

It added in a post on X that aid workers struggle to "keep pace with the needs, amid continued restrictions on bringing tents and other shelter materials into Gaza".

"Aid must be allowed in at scale, without delay, to prevent putting more displaced families at serious risk."

Unrwa noted that along with the significant lack of humanitarian aid, damaged and waterlogged buildings are collapsing, further exposing the population to the cold. 

The Palestinian Civil Defence reported the crumbling of several homes, causing injuries and deaths across the strip. 

Spokesman Mahmoud Bassal confirmed that the shortage of heavy equipment, pumps and fuel is limiting the ability to respond to emergencies. 

Heavy rain and strong winds have swept across Gaza, flooding displacement camps and collapsing tents as families shelter without adequate protection from the cold.

Makeshift shelters were inundated overnight, leaving children and elderly people exposed to freezing temperatures,… pic.twitter.com/GpYFt8LZEs

— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) December 16, 2025

He noted that thousands of families are living in low-lying and open areas without protection, stressing that tents are "no longer viable for life under the current weather conditions".

"Expected strong winds and heavy rains threaten fragile tents and damaged buildings with collapse at any moment," Basal warned.

In several clips circulating on line, tents can be seen being blown away while Palestinians struggle to keep them in place. Other footage show nearly fully flooded tents, shelters, hospitals, vehicles and streets. 

One video shows the collapse of a concrete wall on a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood of Gaza City, a reoccurance that has caused the death of a number of people since last week. 

Renewed search efforts amid Israeli attacks

Meanwhile, Israel has been heavily bombing parts of the blockaded strip. 

Israeli warplanes launched air strikes in the south and east of Gaza City, while artillery and heavy weapons fire were reported across the enclave. 

The eastern areas of the cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, were also targeted.

The Israeli military carried out extensive demolition operations that affected civilian residential buildings in Rafah.

Meanwhile, Civil Defence teams in Gaza City, in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross, announced the resumption of search and recovery operations for the bodies of Palestinians killed during Israel's two-year genocidal war. 

Civil protection officials urged for the provision of bulldozers, excavators and heavy equipment, as Israel has not yet allowed the entry of the heavy machinery required to clear the rubble and reopen the roads.