Despite a ceasefire agreement reached in October, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire, with ongoing violence and a deepening crisis marked by widespread destruction and displacement. New reporting details the continued impact of the conflict on civilians,including the deaths of over 100 children as the truce and a severe winter storm exacerbating already desperate living conditions for those displaced from their homes. This article examines the challenges facing Gaza’s population, the limited access to aid, and the recent partial reopening of the Rafah border crossing, as well as Israel’s revocation of licenses for 37 NGOs operating in the region.
Fuente de la imagen, EPA
“La vida de los palestinos en Gaza sigue marcada por el desplazamiento, el trauma, la incertidumbre y las privaciones”, afirmó recientemente Olga Cherevko, portavoz de la oficina de coordinación de ayuda humanitaria de las Naciones Unidas.
The situation in Gaza remains dire as winter storms batter the territory, even after a ceasefire agreement was reached October 10. More than 80% of buildings have been destroyed, according to the United Nations.
On January 14, the United States announced the beginning of the second phase of President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, incorporated into UN Resolution 2803. A “Peace Board” and other bodies are slated to oversee a new stage of disarmament and reconstruction.
Despite the ceasefire, the humanitarian crisis continues to deepen, with ongoing violence, urgent medical evacuation needs, and a worsening food security situation.
Fuente de la imagen, EPA
More Than 100 Children Killed in Israeli Strikes During Ceasefire
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“A ceasefire to stop the bombs is progress, but one that continues to bury children is not enough,” said James Elder, a UNICEF spokesperson who recently returned from his seventh mission to Gaza in the last two years.
Elder stated that more than 100 children have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire began, averaging one child per day. He cautioned that the confirmed number is likely an underestimate.
The deaths resulted from attacks “ranging from tank shelling to drones firing or dropping grenades, remote-controlled quadcopters, and airstrikes,” he added.
Fuente de la imagen, EPA
Deaths from Hypothermia
The UN reported on January 21 that at least nine children had died from hypothermia since the truce, including a three-month-old baby found frozen, according to local media cited by the organization.
Most of the population is living in tents in temperatures that drop below 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit) in winter.
“I walked under the rain through some of the camps; the cold is intense and a howling wind drives the rain that penetrates through the sides of the tents,” Elder told BBC Mundo.
“We must not forget that children, especially those under two years of age, have suffered from nutritional deprivation throughout their lives. Their immune system is shattered, and now in the middle of winter they wake up with wet clothes and purple hands.”
Strong storms in recent weeks have destroyed or damaged thousands of tents, affecting at least 235,000 people, according to the UN.
The rains also caused the collapse of buildings damaged by bombing.
“Around thirty people died due to the collapse of cracked buildings. Unable to obtain tents, thousands returned to their damaged homes at risk of collapse,” Adnan Elbursh, BBC correspondent in Gaza, now based in Qatar, told BBC Mundo.
Aid agencies noted that Israeli authorities are prohibiting the entry of tent poles, considering them for “dual use” with potential military applications.
“Israel is not allowing the entry of any material that can help people repair their tents: neither wooden poles, nor metal, nor plastic. People are forced to make makeshift repairs with what they have on hand, such as damaged plastic sheets they find in large landfills that have spread throughout Gaza, in areas they can access,” Elbursh added.
A spokesperson for COGAT, the division of the Israeli army that handles civilian affairs, told the BBC: “During the last months COGAT, with humanitarian aid organizations and the international community, has made extensive preparations for the winter. Accordingly, the entry of more than 610,000 family tents, sheeting and tarpaulins was coordinated for residents of Gaza.”
When considering that the material entering the Strip could be used for other purposes by Hamas, “Israel acts with extreme caution and offers international organizations alternatives that facilitate a humanitarian response,” the spokesperson added.
Reuters
A ceasefire that continues to bury children is not enough
100,000 People Facing Catastrophic Food Insecurity
In August, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) – which monitors global hunger crises – indicated that half a million people, nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population, were living in areas affected by famine. At least 450 people had died of hunger by that point, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
A December report from the IPC removed the famine classification. However, it stated that despite improvements in food supply since the truce, the situation remains severe, with half a million Gazans in emergency conditions and more than 100,000 at the highest level of food insecurity (Phase 5) in “catastrophic” conditions.
Fuente de la imagen, Reuters
Israel denied accusations that it is restricting the entry of aid.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein stated in a December post on X that, “in the face of overwhelming and unequivocal evidence, even the IPC had to admit that there is no famine in Gaza.”
COGAT responded, stating that the IPC report presented “a distorted, biased and unfounded picture of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.”
Adnan Elbursh told BBC Mundo that “according to the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, 600 trucks with various types of aid were supposed to enter the Gaza Strip daily. However, Israel only allows between 150 and 200 aid trucks to enter. And these trucks do not carry essential items such as tents, mobile housing units, or essential medical equipment required by the Gaza Ministry of Health.”
Some private merchants obtained permits to enter frozen meat, he added, but most of the population has no income or money to buy it.
Reopening of the Rafah Crossing
Fuente de la imagen, Reuters
On Monday, Israel partially reopened the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
Israel had previously stated that it would not reopen the Rafah crossing – one of its obligations under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement – until the remains of the last hostage, Sergeant Major Ran Gvili, were recovered. Israel confirmed the discovery of the remains in late January.
The Rafah crossing had remained largely closed since May 2024, when Israeli forces took control of the Palestinian side.
Israeli reports indicate that only 50 patients, accompanied by one or two family members, will be allowed to leave each day, and 50 people who left Gaza during the war will be allowed to return, according to Yolande Knell, BBC correspondent in Jerusalem.
But on Tuesday, only 16 patients from Gaza and 40 of their companions crossed into Egypt, Gaza doctors told Reuters.
Around 20,000 Palestinian patients and the wounded, including nearly 4,000 children, are waiting to leave Gaza for treatment, according to local hospitals and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Elder recounted the case of Abed, a 7-year-old boy.
“His house was attacked several times. First his older brother died. Then, when the child was sleeping between his parents in a tent, another attack killed both of them. The child survived with a head wound and a serious leg injury and doctors have told him that if he does not receive urgent medical evacuation they will have to amputate it.”
Fuente de la imagen, Reuters
Expulsion of 37 NGOs
Israel announced in late December the revocation of licenses for 37 international non-governmental organizations working in Gaza and the West Bank, including Action Aid and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), alleging they do not meet the requirements of new registration rules.
The Israeli Ministry of Diaspora
