Gaza enters 2026 with more deaths and Israeli attacks Submitted by Mera Aladam on Fri, 01/02/2026 - 11:00 As winter deepens, demands for Israel to allow humanitarian relief in the Palestinian enclave grow Sarah Saada, a 15-year-old displaced Palestinian, paints '2026' on her tent in Gaza City on 30 December 2025 (Omar al-Qattaa/AFP) Off More deaths, including Israel 's killing of a Palestinian man, have tainted Gaza 's start to the year, as uproar against Israel's aid restrictions grows. In one instance, a displaced grandmother and her grandson died after their tent caught fire on Thursday nearby the Yarmouk Stadium, located west of Gaza City. The flames were sparked by a cooking mishap and fanned by strong winter winds. The Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza identified the two victims as Amal Hamed Abu al-Khair, 65, and Saud Muhammad Abu al-Khair, five. The father of the child sustained serious burns. Another displaced child, identified as Malak Rami Ghneim, froze to death on Thursday as a result of the severe drop in temperature and lack of proper shelter in Nuseirat, central Gaza. Heavy rain and strong winds over the past week have flooded tents in the besieged territory, worsening already dire living conditions for Palestinians after two years of Israeli genocide . Since the start of the winter season, several children have died from the cold, while more than a dozen have been killed by buildings collapsing due to storms and strong winds. According to the Shelter Cluster, an inter-agency mechanism, more than 42,000 tents and makeshift shelters were damaged between 10 and 17 December 2025, affecting nearly a quarter of a million people in the besieged enclave. Meanwhile, Israeli attacks across the besieged enclave continue, with local media reporting shelling, gun shots and air strikes. Children in Gaza lit candles amid the rubble and destruction to celebrate the New Year pic.twitter.com/LIrxJMRCfC — Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) January 1, 2026 On Friday, a young Palestinian man was shot dead by the Israeli army west of Khan Younis, southern Gaza. According to witnesses speaking to Anadolu Agency, the man was killed outside the military's deployment lines stipulated under the fragile ceasefire deal. Israel has violated the truce deal nearly 1,000 times since it began in early October. More than 71,271 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's genocidal war on Gaza in the past two years, and at least 171,233 others have been wounded. Israel causing 'slow death' in Gaza A growing number of organisations and countries have also voiced criticism of Israel's restrictions on humanitarian relief, another violation of the US-brokered ceasefire. Early this week, a raft of aid organisations working in Gaza warned of "devastating" consequences after Israel announced it would ban them from operating. Doctors Without Borders (MSF), one of 37 organisations affected by these changes, said in a post on X that if it and other aid groups lose access to operate in Gaza and the West Bank , "hundreds of thousands of Palestinians would be cut off from essential care". "The Palestinian health system is decimated, essential infrastructure is destroyed, and people struggle to meet basic needs. People need more services, not less," it stressed on Thursday. The commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa) warned that the "new Israeli restrictions on international NGOs are further compromising the humanitarian operation in the Gaza Strip". Aid agencies warn of 'devastating' impact on Gaza after Israeli ban Read More » "These measures come at a time when people in Gaza need more aid, not less, simply to survive. And they also undermine efforts to assist people affected by record levels of violence in the West Bank," Philippe Lazzarini said in a post on X, in reference to growing Israeli army and settler raids in the occupied territory. Lazzarini described the latest restrictions, which come in the wake of Israeli legislation against Unrwa, as "part of a troubling pattern of disregard for international humanitarian law and increasing impediments to aid operations", adding that it sets a "dangerous precedent". "Failing to push back against attempts to control the work of aid organisations will further undermine the basic humanitarian principles of neutrality, independence, impartiality and humanity underpinning aid work across the world." Meanwhile, eight Arab and Islamic countries demanded that Israel allow rights groups "sustainable, predictable and unrestricted" access to the territories, especially amid the difficult winter conditions. The countries - Egypt , Qatar , Jordan , Saudi Arabia , the UAE , Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey - published the joint statement on Friday, following a similar statement by 10 major countries on Tuesday. Palestinians face a severe shortage when it comes to necessities such as warm shelter, winter items, medicine, clean water and food as a result of Israel's months-long aid blockade. The Gaza-based Government Media Office on Sunday said that Israel was continuing to evade its obligations under the ceasefire agreement, failing to allow the agreed 600 trucks per day into the blockaded strip. Only about 20,000 trucks entered Gaza out of the agreed 48,000 since October, which the office said is leading the enclave into "a slow death". Israel's genocide in Gaza News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0