25 Palestinians die in Gaza amid severe weather since start of December

At least 25 Palestinians, including six children, have died in the Gaza Strip as a result of severe weather conditions since the beginning of December, according to local sources.

Civil defence and rescue teams said Gaza has experienced unusually harsh weather this month, marked by heavy rainfall, strong winds and extreme cold, the likes of which the territory has not seen in previous years.

They said 18 residential buildings that had already been damaged by earlier Israeli air strikes collapsed completely during the storms and rainfall. A further 110 buildings suffered serious partial collapses, posing a direct threat to the lives of thousands of residents living in or near the structures.

Rescue teams also reported that around 90 per cent of tents sheltering displaced families were blown away or flooded by the heavy rain and strong winds across different parts of the Strip.

As a result, thousands of families lost their temporary shelters along with their few remaining belongings, including clothes, blankets and mattresses, further compounding the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza Strip.

Local officials warned that worsening weather conditions, combined with widespread destruction and displacement, continue to place civilians at grave risk, particularly children, the elderly and those living in damaged buildings or makeshift shelters.