Extreme cold deaths in Gaza rise to 24, including 21 children: Media office

GAZA CITY, Palestine / ISTANBUL

Deaths caused by extreme cold in the Gaza Strip have risen to 24, including 21 children, since the start of Israel’s genocidal war in October 2023, local authorities said Tuesday.

In a statement, the government media office said seven children have died since the beginning of the current winter season due to severe cold conditions, bringing the total number of cold-related deaths to 24 as of Jan. 13, 2026.

“All the victims were displaced Palestinians living in forced displacement camps,” the statement said.

The media office also reported that around 7,000 tents have been swept away by the ongoing low-pressure weather system battering the enclave.

It warned of “catastrophic humanitarian consequences” as freezing temperatures return to Gaza amid the continued Israeli onslaught and suffocating blockade, which have caused widespread destruction of homes and infrastructure and forced more than 1.5 million Palestinians into displacement camps lacking the most basic living conditions.

The office said the situation poses a serious threat to the lives of the most vulnerable groups, particularly children, citing a near-total absence of heating supplies, lack of safe shelter, and severe shortages of blankets and winter clothing, compounded by ongoing restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid.

It held Israel fully responsible for the deaths, which the statement described as part of a broader policy of “slow killing, starvation, and forced displacement.”

The media office urged the international community, the United Nations, and humanitarian and human rights organizations to take immediate action to establish safe shelters, allow the unrestricted entry of heating and relief supplies, and prevent further loss of life.

The Israeli army has killed more than 71,000 people, most of them women and children, and injured over 171,000 others in a brutal offensive since October 2023 that left the Gaza Strip in ruins.

Despite a ceasefire that began last Oct. 10, the Israeli army has continued its attacks, killing 447 Palestinians and wounding 1,246 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.