Displaced Palestinians Perish Amid Gaza Fires, Cold

By Staff, Agencies

A mother and her child were martyred, and another person was injured on Thursday after a fire broke out inside a tent sheltering displaced families at an evacuation center in the al-Daraj neighborhood of central Gaza.

In a statement, the Palestinian Civil Defense said the fire erupted inside tents housing displaced people in the al-Yarmouk area of the city center. Its crews responded to the incident and recovered the bodies of a woman and her young child, while rescuing another person who sustained burn injuries.

The statement added that the relevant authorities are following up on the details and circumstances surrounding the incident.

In a separate incident, the child Malak Rami Ghoneim, who was living with her family in a tent for displaced people inside the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, died as a result of severe cold caused by the low-pressure weather system affecting the region.

These incidents come amid extremely dire humanitarian conditions facing displaced people across the Gaza Strip, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are living in overcrowded tents and temporary shelters that lack insulation, fire safety measures, and protection from harsh weather.

Civil defense and medical teams have repeatedly warned of a growing risk of fires, hypothermia, and preventable deaths during the winter months.

The crisis is unfolding as humanitarian organizations face mounting operational constraints.

"Israel" has recently threatened to suspend the activities of dozens of aid groups operating in Gaza, prompting warnings from the United Nations and international partners that further restrictions could worsen civilian suffering by limiting access to shelter materials, fuel, medical care, and emergency assistance.

The situation has been exacerbated by the "Israeli" occupation’s destruction of entire residential areas, the forcible displacement of the population, and continued restrictions on the entry of essential humanitarian aid, leaving displaced families increasingly exposed to deadly living conditions.