Winter storms compound Gaza crisis, UN says aid remains blocked

Relentless winter storms are bearing down on Gaza, deepening the misery of hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians already teetering on the edge of survival, as humanitarian agencies warn that lifesaving shelter aid remains stranded beyond sealed borders under Israeli restrictions, Al Jazeera reports.

The United Nations says tents, blankets and other vital supplies stand ready for delivery, yet access through Gaza’s crossings remains blocked or sharply limited, leaving families defenceless against biting winds, driving rain and plunging temperatures inside the besieged enclave.

In Gaza City’s overcrowded Shati refugee camp, the violence of the storm proved devastating. The roof of a war-scarred home gave way under the pounding rain, rescue workers said on Wednesday. Six Palestinians — including two children — were pulled alive from the wreckage, a fleeting moment of relief cutting through an atmosphere thick with despair, according to Al Jazeera.

The dangers of exposure were thrown into stark relief days earlier when Gaza’s ministry of health reported that a two-week-old infant had frozen to death — a grim reminder of the deadly risks facing newborns, the elderly and the infirm forced to endure life in fragile, makeshift shelters.

A spokesperson for UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said the storms had ripped through shelters and swept away personal belongings across Gaza, erasing what little sense of security displaced families had managed to build.

“The disruption has affected approximately 30,000 children across Gaza,” said Farhan Haq, underscoring the urgency of repairs needed to allow essential services and activities to resume without delay.

The Palestinian Civil Defence painted an even bleaker picture, describing conditions in Gaza as “a true humanitarian catastrophe”.

As the crisis deepens on the ground, diplomatic efforts gather pace abroad. Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, held talks in Washington, DC, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, focusing on efforts to stabilise Gaza’s fragile ceasefire.

Qatari officials said the discussions centred on Doha’s role as a mediator, the pressing need to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, and advancing negotiations toward the second phase of a US-backed plan aimed at ending Israel’s war on the enclave.

The Qatari prime minister also raised the prospect of an international stabilisation force to be deployed in Gaza once the war ends, stressing that any such force must act impartially. US discussions in recent weeks, Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher noted, have focused on whether the force would be tasked with disarming Hamas.

Sheikh Mohammed also pressed for swift movement toward the second phase of the ceasefire, warning that delays would only prolong suffering. US officials, Fisher added, hope to announce early in the new year which countries may contribute troops to a stabilisation mission.

Despite the ceasefire, violence continues to scar daily life in Gaza. Medical sources said at least 11 Palestinians were wounded in Israeli attacks in central Gaza City. The Israeli army said it was investigating after a mortar shell fired near Gaza’s so-called yellow line missed its target.

Al Jazeera journalists reported Israeli artillery fire east of the southern city of Khan Younis, while medical officials said Israeli gunfire wounded two people in the Tuffah neighbourhood of eastern Gaza City.

In the occupied West Bank, tensions also flared. Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli troops shot and wounded a man in his 20s in the foot in Qalqilya. He was taken to hospital and is reported to be in stable condition.

Since October 2023, Palestinian health authorities say at least 70,668 Palestinians have been killed and 171,152 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza. In Israel, 1,139 people were killed in the Hamas-led 7 October attack, with more than 200 people taken captive.