Since last week, the situation in Gaza has shifted into a new phase of humanitarian emergency, where deaths are no longer only from strikes, but also from cold, floods, and the progressive strangulation of aid.
Deaths continue despite the truce
While the ceasefire announced in the autumn was supposed to usher in a period of calm, human losses continue. The Associated Press reports that, since the beginning of the truce, more than 440 Palestinians have been killed by gunfire, drone strikes, and bombings, while UNICEF notes a particularly heavy toll for children, with more than 100 children killed despite the period supposed to be "calm."
Regarding overall casualties, several international sources relay figures from the Ministry of Health in Gaza, which continue to rise daily, both due to new attacks and because bodies are still being extracted from the rubble.
Winter storm turns camps into death traps
Since January 12 and 13, winter has added another layer of violence to the war. Reuters describes torrential rains and strong winds causing the collapse of weakened structures and the flooding of hundreds of tents, leading to at least six deaths in one day, including women and a child near Gaza City, as well as a baby who died of cold in Deir al-Balah.
In the same report, the media office in Gaza reported 31 deaths this winter related to cold and collapses, and stated that approximately 7,000 tents were damaged in 48 hours. The United Nations, cited by Reuters, estimates that 850,000 people living in displacement sites remain at high risk of flooding and that 300,000 new tents are urgently needed.
Humanitarian aid strangled by the ban on many NGOs
At the same time, the crisis is worsening on the humanitarian front with the marginalization of many organizations. Reuters reported in early January that UN Secretary-General António Guterres was publicly concerned about the announced suspension against several international NGOs and called for these decisions to be reversed.
This dynamic has intensified in recent days, with Israeli measures targeting humanitarian organizations in Gaza, some of which provide specialized services: field hospitals, support for local hospitals, malnutrition screening, mental health. Medical actors, including Médecins Sans Frontières in its public statements, warn that blocking or conditioning the registration of NGOs amounts to depriving the population of vital relief, precisely when needs are exploding.
UNRWA: UN warns against a breakdown of the aid's "backbone"
Another major point: Reuters reports that António Guterres warned, in a letter dated January 8, that he might take the matter to the International Court of Justice if Israel did not reverse the laws targeting UNRWA and return seized assets. For the UN, UNRWA remains a logistical and human pillar of the response in Gaza, and any additional obstruction risks immediately leading to less distribution, less care, less shelter.
What to expect now?
On the ground, the urgency is twofold: to respond to the victims of the strikes and to prevent winter from killing more. Humanitarians describe a race against time: re-establishing shelters, bringing in reconstruction materials, ensuring fuel for generators, and securing aid corridors.
But if the ban on NGOs and the strangulation of UNRWA continue, the expected effect is automatic: fewer teams, less care, less distribution, and therefore more preventable deaths. In an already destroyed enclave, the deprivation of aid is not an administrative detail: it is a decision measured in lives.
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