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Strong cold-season gusts brought walls down upon flimsy shelters sheltering Palestinians displaced by conflict in Gaza, claiming the lives of no fewer than 4 individuals. These deaths underscores the dangerous situation that persist after more than 24 months of devastating bombardment and critical lack of humanitarian assistance.

Ceasefire Provides No Respite from Harsh Elements

Although a ceasefire has been active since last fall, aid groups report that residents do not have the sufficient shelter necessary to withstand frequent winter storms.

Medical staff at Shifa hospital, which received the bodies, said on Tuesday that the deceased were two women, a girl, and a man.

In a separate incident, the Gaza health ministry announced on the same day that a one-year-old boy died of hypothermia during the night.

"The world has allowed us to experience loss of life in all its forms," stated a family member after the funeral. "It’s true the bombing may have temporarily stopped, but we have seen every conceivable cause of fatality in the world in the Gaza Strip."

Relatives Crushed in Shelter Collapse

As per Shifa hospital, three people of a one household — elderly a man, his teenage granddaughter, and his son's wife — were fatally injured when an eight-metre tall wall collapsed on top of their dwelling in a coastal area of Gaza City. At least 5 additional people were injured in the event.

Their relatives on Tuesday started removing the rubble that had entombed their loved ones and reconstructing the tent shelters for survivors.

Humanitarian Distribution and Continuing Emergency

United Nations agencies and its humanitarian partners were handing out shelter kits, tarps, warm covers and clothing as well as nutrition and sanitation supplies throughout Gaza, said the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs.

Most of the population reside in makeshift tents because their homes were reduced to ruins over the course of the hostilities. Humanitarian organizations contend an insufficient amount of building supplies are entering Gaza during the truce.

Casualty Numbers Since the Truce

Local health authorities, part of the administration, says over four hundred and forty people have been fatally shot by gunfire and their bodies brought to hospitals since the truce went into effect. The authority maintains comprehensive casualty records that are seen as largely accurate by UN agencies and outside analysts.

James Elder, representing the UN children’s agency Unicef, stated on Tuesday that at least one hundred children below eighteen years old – sixty males and forty girls – had been killed after the truce began due to military operations, such as drone strikes, airstrikes, artillery fire and use of bullets. Those figures, he explained, reflected cases where sufficient information had been gathered to justify recording, but the overall count is expected to be greater. He noted that hundreds of minors had been wounded.

"While 'explosions and shootings have decreased' during the truce, they have not stopped," Elder informed journalists at a press conference in Geneva by video link from Gaza City. "So what the international community now terms quiet would be considered a crisis in any other place," he concluded.

Third Winter of Struggle

Gaza’s residents of over 2 million people has been fighting to fend off the cold weather and storms away while facing shortages of assistance and a lack of more substantial temporary housing, which is urgently required throughout the colder season. This marks the 3rd cold season since the war involving Israel and the group started on a date in late 2023, when militants stormed into Israeli territory and killed around 1,200 individuals and abducted two hundred and fifty-one others into Gaza.

The local health authority reports over 71,400 Palestinians have been fatally injured in Israel’s retaliatory offensive.