Amman, Jordan, January 19, 2026 — Civilians across the Gaza strip are experiencing catastrophic winter conditions, where heavy rains, strong winds and freezing temperatures are compounding an already dire humanitarian crisis and placing civilians at immediate risk. Severe storms have rapidly flooded tents and torn through makeshift shelters, forcing families into desperate, moment-to-moment decisions simply to survive. Children are sleeping in soaked clothing, with no protection from the cold and nowhere safe to go. According to UNICEF, six children have already frozen to death this winter, a tragic and preventable loss of life. As temperatures continue to drop, thousands more civilians remain at immediate risk of hypothermia, disease, and death. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) urgently calls on the Government of Israel to allow the rapid, unimpeded scale-up of humanitarian aid to prevent further disease and death.
Faten Abu Mousa, IRC Gaza Child Protection Manager, said,
“During the storm, we witnessed firsthand how extreme weather is exposing just how vulnerable people are. Heavy rain and strong winds flooded and collapsed tents within minutes. Families were scrambling to protect their children, their bedding and the few belongings they still have. Everything becomes about survival- finding dry ground, reinforcing plastic sheets, trying to stop water from soaking where people sleep.
“Even the most basic measures are failing. The layers of protection people do have are painfully thin; tarpaulins tear, sandbags give way, and tents offer almost no resistance to wind and cold. A short storm can undo whatever fragile stability families have managed to build.”
The consequences have already been deadly. At least four people were killed when a wall collapsed on them as they sheltered in a damaged building they believed would be safer than a tent. According to the UN humanitarian office, hundreds of tents and makeshift shelters have been blown away or severely damaged.
Bob Kitchen IRC Vice President for Emergencies, said,
“There are simply not enough tents. People are being forced to survive winter with almost nothing. Without the ability to quickly bring in adequate supplies such as safe shelter and clean water at scale, preventable deaths will continue.”
IRC warns that without an immediate supply of essential items, winter conditions will continue to claim lives, particularly among children, older people and those already weakened by hunger and illness. Repeated exposure to cold, damp environments sharply increases the risk of respiratory infections and water-borne diseases, while the lack of adequate shelter leaves families with no protection from further storms.
The IRC is calling for rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access to allow life-saving shelter materials, winterization supplies, clean water and health support to reach families before conditions deteriorate further.
The IRC and our partners work to provide lifesaving services in the occupied Palestinian territory. In Gaza, we work to provide clean water, malnutrition treatment, protection and empowerment for women and children, early childhood development, psychosocial interventions, emergency reproductive health and address critical humanitarian needs. In the West Bank, the IRC and our partners continue to provide psychosocial interventions and early childhood development services, as well as build the capacity of community first aid workers.