Gaza, January 13, 2026 (WAFA) – Health and local sources in Gaza warned of the dire situation facing displaced people in the Strip as a severe polar air mass enters the area. Approximately 127,000 out of 135,000 tents are now uninhabitable, amid a critical shortage of blankets, mattresses, and heating supplies..
Wafa correspondents reported that displaced people are facing the bitter cold without sufficient blankets or mattresses to protect them from the ground and dampness, especially families living in dilapidated tents or in remote and isolated areas, where the shortage of blankets and heating equipment is severe. 70% At the sector level, the rates rise to more dangerous levels in remote areas..
According to official sources, the occupation forces repeatedly targeted shelters and aid distribution centers, bombing 303 shelters and 61 food distribution centers since the start of the aggression. This left most displaced families without heating and blankets, forcing children, women, and the elderly to sleep on the ground inside tents that offer no protection from the wind or rain..
According to medical sources, these conditions resulted in the deaths of 21 displaced people due to the extreme cold, including 18 children in camps for forced displacement. Tens of thousands of cases of respiratory and infectious diseases were recorded, amid the lack of heating and the disruption of the health sector after its destruction. 38 A hospital and 96 healthcare centers were shut down, increasing the likelihood of death among infants, the elderly, and patients..
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