A sixth child has died in Gaza this month as the enclave’s people continue to endure dire living conditions linked to freezing rains and the Israel-Hamas war, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has announced. The development comes as aid agencies urged Israeli authorities to reconsider revoking the licences of dozens of humanitarian partners that provide assistance across the devastated enclave from 1 January.
In a statement, UNICEF identified the latest victim as seven-year-old Ata Mai; he drowned on 27 December during “severe flooding” in an improvised camp for internally displaced people in Sudaniyeh, northwest Gaza City.
He is just the latest child in Gaza to succumb amid “extreme winter conditions and lack of safe shelters”, said UNICEF’s Edouard Beigbeder, Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
“Teams visiting displacement camps reported appalling conditions that no child should endure, with many tents blown away or collapsing entirely,” he said.
Desperate search
Information indicates that Ata had been living in a camp of some 40 tents when he went missing one afternoon. Despite search and rescue efforts supported by heavy machinery, his body was only recovered 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 aid, including blankets, tarpaulins, and psychosocial support, while assessing their broader needs”.
In addition to Ata Mai, at least five other children have lost their lives this month “after being exposed to such harsh conditions”, Mr. Beigbeder said.
Across Gaza, shelter needs are acute, with more than 1.9 million people displaced and only limited shelter supplies entering the enclave. Specifically, internally displaced families who have been sheltering in worn-out tents or makeshift shelters have faced prolonged rains, strong winds and freezing temperatures. Aid teams have repeatedly flagged the dangers for underfed youngsters and other vulnerable Gazans whose tents have been flooded time and again.
In an update issued on Tuesday, UN aid coordination office, OCHA, confirmed flash flooding caused by new rainstorms, “affecting people living in low-lying areas, coastal zones and those sheltering in substandard structures and tents”.
“Seawater has once again inundated tents housing displaced families, including in the Al Mawasi area of Khan Younis, rendering many shelters uninhabitable,” the update noted.
The rains have forced many families often previously uprooted by the war to move to higher ground after their belongings were soaked.
Heavy winds have made matters worse, destroying or severely damaging numerous tents and makeshift shelters, OCHA said.
Shelter solutions remain elusive and since early December, 18 residential buildings “have completely collapsed, resulting in significant human and material losses”, according to the agency update.
An additional more than 110 additional buildings have sustained dangerous partial damage, posing an immediate threat to thousands of residents in and around them.
“This tragedy underscores the extreme vulnerability of children in Gaza’s hardest-hit areas, where the near-total destruction of homes and water and sewage infrastructure has left families exposed to the elements,” UNICEF said.
The development comes after a week of heavy rainfall, strong winds and freezing temperatures that have affected around 100,000 families.
With further rain and colder conditions forecast, the situation is expected to worsen.
READ MORE:https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166686
