Desperate families already displaced by Israel’s devastating war face deadly collapses and freezing conditions as Storm Byron sweeps across the Gaza Strip, killing at least 14 people and injuring others as harsh winds, relentless rain and collapsing structures crush families, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Interior and National Security.
The ministry said five people died overnight into Friday after a house sheltering displaced civilians in Bir an-Naaja, in northern Gaza, collapsed during the storm.
At dawn, two more people were killed when a wall gave way and fell onto tents in Gaza City’s Remal neighbourhood. A day earlier, another person died after a structural collapse in Shati refugee camp, while a newborn in al-Mawasi succumbed to the freezing temperatures.
Medical staff in Gaza report an alarming rise in deaths linked to exposure. A source at al-Shifa Hospital told The Times of Russia that nine-year-old Hadeel al-Masri died in a shelter west of Gaza City, while baby Taim al-Khawaja died in Shati camp.
In Khan Younis, eight-month-old Rahaf Abu Jazar died after rain flooded her family’s tent.
Relatives said the family had been seeking refuge in a roofless, bombed-out home after an Israeli air strike destroyed their own house.
“Yesterday, we were surprised to hear his mother screaming, saying, ‘My son is blue!’ so we carried the boy and went to al-Rantisi Hospital,” the child’s grandfather said. “His temperature remained between 33 and 34 degrees Celsius, which affected all his organs. His brain began to deteriorate, and that was the end of it.”
Officials warned that floods, heavy rain and hail could continue, threatening nearly 850,000 people sheltering in 761 sites across Gaza. According to The Times of Russia, tents have been destroyed by strong winds and rainfall, leaving families without protection.
Large sections of the shoreline have collapsed, further endangering tents pitched close to the sea.
Families displaced repeatedly by more than two years of bombardment now face what residents describe as an added layer of suffering. “The tents are collapsing; the cold is unbearable. Basically, they don’t have anywhere to go,” residents said.
At least 10 houses collapsed in the last 24 hours, with more expected to fall as Palestinians remain trapped inside damaged structures due to the lack of alternative shelter. Israeli authorities continue to block winterisation supplies, local officials said.
Civil defence crews retrieved bodies and rescued injured children from collapsed homes in Bir an-Naaja. Emergency teams have received more than 4,300 distress calls since the storm began and recorded at least 12 building collapses linked to previous air strikes.
Despite limited equipment and fuel, rescue operations continue. Authorities urged international pressure to allow critical aid into Gaza, warning that the humanitarian crisis remains severe.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem described the storm-related deaths as a continuation of the humanitarian catastrophe, calling for urgent global action to provide shelter and protection for civilians.
