The deaths of eight Palestinians in Gaza during a brutal winter storm are not a natural tragedy alone; they are the foreseeable consequence of a man-made catastrophe that refuses to end. In a land already pulverized by months of relentless Israeli bombardment, cold rain and violent winds has become yet another weapon, exposing the cruelty of forcing a civilian population to survive without shelter, safety, or dignity.
Four of the victims died from exposure to freezing temperatures; including a one-year-old child who perished inside a tent, a detail so harrowing it should shame the conscience of the world. The remaining four were crushed when war-damaged buildings collapsed under the pressure of the storm, structures weakened not by age or neglect, but by sustained military attacks. These deaths are a stark reminder that in Gaza, even the weather has become lethal because the foundations of civilian life have been systematically destroyed.
The storm did not arrive in a vacuum. Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians are living in makeshift tents, plastic sheets, or partially destroyed homes because Israel’s war has rendered entire neighborhoods uninhabitable. According to Gaza’s Civil Defense, the majority of the population lacks adequate shelter, while basic materials such as tents, heaters, blankets, and building supplies remain blocked from entering the enclave. This deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid, despite a declared ceasefire that began on October 10, is a clear violation of international law and a moral failure of historic proportions.
Ceasefires are meant to save lives. In Gaza, they have become hollow........

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