He is just the latest child in Gaza to succumb amid “extreme winter conditions and lack of safe shelters,” said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
“Teams visiting displacement camps reported appalling conditions that no child should have to endure, with many tents knocked down or collapsing completely,” said.
desperate search
Information indicates that Ata had been living in a camp of about 40 tents when he disappeared 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, tarps 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,” Beigbeder said.
Across Gaza, shelter needs are dire, with more than 1.9 million displaced people and limited shelter supplies entering the enclave. Specifically, internally displaced families who have taken shelter in worn-out tents or makeshift shelters have faced prolonged rain, strong winds, and frigid temperatures. Aid teams have repeatedly pointed out the dangers to malnourished youth and other vulnerable Gazans whose tents have been flooded again and again.
In an update published on Tuesday, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, confirmed flash flooding caused by new storms, “affecting people living in low-lying areas, coastal areas and those taking shelter in substandard structures and tents.”
“Seawater has once again flooded tents housing displaced families, including in the Al Mawasi area of Khan Younis, leaving many shelters uninhabitable,” the update notes.
The rains have forced many families, often uprooted by war, to move to higher ground after their belongings were soaked.
Strong winds have worsened the situation, 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’s update.
More than 110 additional buildings have suffered dangerous partial damage, posing an immediate threat to thousands of residents in and around them.
“This tragedy underlines the extreme vulnerability of children in the worst affected areas of Gaza, where the near total destruction of homes and water and sewage infrastructure has left families exposed to the elements,” UNICEF said.
The news comes after a week of heavy rain, strong winds and freezing temperatures that have affected around 100,000 families.
With more rain and colder conditions forecast, the situation is expected to worsen.
Still saving lives
Working alongside humanitarian partners, UNICEF is providing critical support to thousands of affected families. This vital work includes:
- installation of temporary water pipes,
- distributing hygiene items, tarps, blankets and dignity kits,
- guarantee access to latrines,
- working to clean and reopen sewage pipes, clear stormwater inlets and protect tents from flooding.
UNICEF warned that heavy rains are worsening the situation by increasing fuel needs for sewage pumping and stormwater drainage. Water levels in Sheikh Radwan Lagoon have risen from 1.8 to 2.2 metres, requiring 7,000 liters of fuel per day to prevent overflowing.
Threat of suspension of international NGOs
As of January 1, 37 international aid groups – international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) – are at risk of losing their licenses to operate throughout Gaza. These include important and key UN partners, including the Norwegian Refugee Council and others who have sole responsibility for the five life-saving nutritional stabilization centers that treat acutely malnourished children.
“If international NGOs are forced to suspend their operations, one in three health centers in Gaza will close” the UN and its partners in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) said earlier this month.
In a statement, they insisted that the new international NGO registration system “fundamentally jeopardizes the continuation of humanitarian operations throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”
The new system “is based on vague, arbitrary and highly politicized criteria and imposes requirements that humanitarian organizations cannot meet without violating international legal obligations or compromising fundamental humanitarian principles,” the aid agencies continued.
Unless Israel reconsiders, dozens of international NGOs face deregistration by Wednesday, December 31, 2025, followed by the forced closure of their operations within 60 days.
“The work of international NGOs cannot be replaced, especially after Israeli restrictions imposed on UNRWA have already pushed the humanitarian response inside Gaza to breaking point,” they said, referring to the UN agency for the Palestinians, which despite Israeli restrictions, continues to provide critical humanitarian services to more than two million Palestinians in the OPT.