In a statement, UNICEF identified the latest victim as seven-year-old Ata Mai, who drowned on December 27 during severe flooding in an improvised camp for displaced people in Soudaniyeh, northwest of Gaza City. He is just the latest child in Gaza to succumb to extreme winter conditions and lack of safe shelter, said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.
“Teams visiting IDP camps have reported appalling conditions that no child should have to endure, with many tents destroyed by wind or completely collapsing,” he said.
Desperate search
Reports indicate that Ata was living in a camp of around 40 tents when he disappeared one afternoon. Despite search and rescue efforts supported by heavy machinery, his body was not found until hours later. The UN agency noted that Ata’s siblings “are all under 10 years old…the family had already endured the loss of their mother during the war. UNICEF is currently supporting the family with essential assistance, including blankets, tarpaulins, and psychosocial support, while assessing their broader needs.”
Besides Ata Mai, at least five other children have lost their lives this month after being exposed to such harsh conditions, Beigbeder said.
Across the Gaza Strip, shelter needs are dire, with more than 1.9 million people displaced and few shelter supplies entering the enclave. Specifically, displaced families sheltering in dilapidated tents or makeshift shelters faced prolonged rains, strong winds, and freezing temperatures. Humanitarian teams have repeatedly reported the dangers facing undernourished young people and other vulnerable Gaza residents, whose tents have been repeatedly flooded.
In an update released Tuesday, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, confirmed flash flooding caused by further rainstorms, affecting people living in low-lying areas, coastal areas, and those sheltering in substandard structures and tents.
“Seawater has once again flooded tents sheltering displaced families, notably in the Al Mawasi neighborhood of Khan Younis, rendering many shelters uninhabitable,” the update noted.
The rains forced many families, often uprooted by the war, to settle on higher ground after their belongings were soaked. Strong winds worsened the situation, destroying or seriously damaging many tents and makeshift shelters, OCHA said.
Shelter solutions remain elusive and since the beginning of December, 18 residential buildings have completely collapsed, resulting in significant human and material losses, according to the agency’s update. More than 110 additional buildings suffered dangerous partial damage, posing an immediate threat to thousands of residents in and near them.
“This tragedy highlights the extreme vulnerability of children in the hardest-hit areas of Gaza, where the near-total destruction of homes and water and sewage infrastructure has left families exposed to the elements,” UNICEF said. This development comes after a week of heavy rains, strong winds, and freezing temperatures which affected around 100,000 families. With further rain and colder conditions forecast, the situation is expected to get worse.
We continue to save lives
Working alongside humanitarian partners, UNICEF is providing essential support to thousands of affected families. This vital work includes installing temporary water pipes, distributing hygiene items, tarpaulins, blankets, and dignity kits, ensuring access to latrines, and working to clean and reopen sewer lines, clean stormwater inlets, and protect tents from flooding.
UNICEF warned that heavy rains are worsening the situation by increasing fuel needs for sewage pumping and stormwater drainage. Water levels in Sheikh Radwan Lagoon rose from 1.8 to 2.2 meters, requiring 7,000 liters of fuel per day to prevent overflows.
Threat of suspension of INGOs
Since January 1, 37 international humanitarian groups – international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) – are at risk of losing their licenses allowing them to operate across Gaza. They include major and key UN partners, including the Norwegian Refugee Council and others who have full responsibility for the five vital nutritional stabilization centers that treat children suffering from acute malnutrition.
“If INGOs are forced to stop their operations, one in three health facilities in Gaza will close their doors,” the UN and its partners in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) said earlier this month. In a statement, they insisted that the new INGO registration system “fundamentally undermines the continuation of humanitarian operations throughout the OPT.”
The new system “relies on vague, arbitrary, and highly politicized criteria and imposes demands that humanitarian organizations cannot meet without violating international legal obligations or compromising fundamental humanitarian principles,” the humanitarian agencies continued.
Unless Israel reconsiders its decision, dozens of INGOs face delisting by Wednesday, December 31, 2025, followed by the forced closure of their operations within 60 days.
“The work of INGOs cannot be replaced, especially after the restrictions imposed by Israel UNRWA have already pushed the humanitarian response in Gaza to a breaking point,” they said, referring to the UN agency for
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