Winter's fury has descended on Gaza, as torrential rains flood makeshift camps and turn fragile shelters into death traps. At least 12 people, including a two-week-old baby who died from hypothermia, have been killed as the severe weather causes already damaged buildings to collapse and swamps flimsy tents.

This latest crisis compounds the catastrophic humanitarian situation for nearly 1.5 million displaced people, nine weeks into a fragile ceasefire. United Nations agencies on the ground are sounding the alarm, warning that freezing temperatures and flooded, sewage-contaminated living areas create a perfect storm for the rapid spread of disease.

A Deluge of Despair

The conditions on the ground are “horrendous,” noted Jonathan Crickx, a UNICEF spokesperson in Palestine. He described seeing barefoot children with their clothes and mattresses completely soaked, and tents being uprooted by strong winds. “It's extremely difficult to live in those conditions,” Crickx emphasized, highlighting the grave risk of hypothermia and waterborne diseases.

The scale of the disaster is staggering, with recent UN reports indicating:

• Over 55,000 families have been affected by the rains, their shelters and belongings damaged or destroyed.
• More than 40 designated emergency shelters were severely flooded, forcing many to relocate yet again.
• At least 700 tents have been confirmed damaged by flooding, impacting thousands of individuals.
• A UN analysis identified 761 displacement sites, housing nearly 850,000 people, as being at the highest risk of flooding.

For many Kenyans, these scenes of devastation are tragically familiar, echoing the recent battles against El Niño-fueled floods that swept through communities across our nation. While the contexts differ, the human cost of extreme weather—lost homes, livelihoods, and the constant threat to children's health—is a shared reality.

An Urgent Call for Aid

Humanitarian partners are scrambling to respond, distributing tents, blankets, and winter clothing, but they warn that the aid getting in is a drop in the ocean compared to the immense need. Aid agencies have stressed that materials needed to properly reinforce shelters, such as timber and plywood, have been delayed from entering Gaza. This bottleneck is turning a natural disaster into a man-made catastrophe.

The crisis has prompted renewed calls from Kenyan leaders for greater international action. President William Ruto recently told the UN General Assembly that Kenya is “gravely concerned by the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza,” urging adherence to international law and warning against double standards in the treatment of human suffering.

As aid agencies race against time and the elements, the plea from a displaced father, Mohammed Gharableh, captures the terror of every storm. “When we hear the news that there is a storm, our whole lives change,” he said. “We start thinking about where to stay... and where to keep our children safe and warm.”