Gaza Faces Humanitarian Catastrophe Amid Freezing Siege

By Staff, Agencies

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Thursday that one person was martyred and 13 others were wounded in the past 24 hours as "Israeli" attacks and the worsening humanitarian situation continue to devastate the Strip.

The ministry warned that many martyrs remain trapped beneath rubble and in areas unreachable by ambulance and civil defense teams due to ongoing bombardment, destroyed roads, and severe winter conditions.

According to the ministry, 395 people have been claimed and 1,088 injured since the declared ceasefire on 11 October 2025, with 634 bodies recovered during that period.

Despite the temporary halt in wide-scale airstrikes, "Israeli" drone fire, targeted raids, and the collapse of structurally compromised buildings continue to produce casualties on an almost daily basis.

The overall death toll from the "Israeli" assault, which began on October 7, 2023, has now climbed to 70,669 martyrs with 171,165 people injured.

Health officials stress that these figures remain incomplete, as rescue crews are unable to access dozens of destroyed neighborhoods in northern and central Gaza, where entire families are believed to still be buried under rubble.

The ministry also reported the death of one-month-old Saeed Usaid Abdeen, who succumbed to severe cold amid Gaza’s collapsing living conditions. His death raises the number of people who have died from cold and the ongoing weather depression to 13, underscoring what health authorities describe as an entirely preventable humanitarian tragedy.

Civil Defense teams have also reported widespread flooding, the collapse of 17 residential buildings, and dangerous partial collapses in more than 90 others, as winter storms strike a displaced population largely living in torn tents and unheated classrooms.

Doctors warn that children, the elderly, and the chronically ill face the highest risk, especially as hospitals operate at four times their capacity and struggle to treat a surge of hypothermia cases, respiratory infections, and waterborne illnesses.

Aid groups say that winterization supplies remain critically insufficient, with only a fraction of the promised shelter materials entering Gaza due to ongoing "Israeli" restrictions.

The crisis worsens as ceasefire violations continue: since the truce began, "Israeli" forces have launched over 760 attacks, claiming hundreds and hindering aid, with daily truck deliveries reaching just 39% of pledged levels.

Authorities urged the international community to intervene to ensure safe humanitarian access, enable reconstruction, and prevent additional deaths as winter intensifies, reiterating that updated interactive casualty data is available through the ministry’s official platform.