Hurricane Byron Terjang Gaza, Eight Months Baby Dies Of Coldness In Flooded Tents

The rain that hit the Gaza Strip. (Twitter/@UNLazzarini)

JAKARTA - A baby aged about eight months died of cold due to his tent where he was displaced was flooded, when Hurricane Byron hit Gaza Strip, Palestine.

Rahaf Abu Jazar lost his life when Hurricane Byron hit Gaza on Thursday, causing the tents of hundreds of displaced families to be flooded.

"When we woke up, we found rain wetting his body and the wind hitting him, and the baby suddenly died of cold," said his mother, Hejar Abu Jazar, as reported by The National (12/12).

"There's nothing wrong with him," he told Reuters, crying hugging his daughter.

Earlier, the UN Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) had warned of the impact of Hurricane Byron on Gaza, which has been destroyed by the Israeli war.

"People who have lost everything and need everything face another layer of suffering," UNRWA Commissioner Philippe Lazzarini said in a post on X.

"There are more difficulties for refugee families living in emergency shelters with rain carrying floods, damage, and additional health threats," he added.

Since Wednesday morning, Gaza has been hit by heavy rains and strong winds, which have flooded fragile shelters and caused thousands of tents across the Gaza Strip to be flooded, as quoted by WAFA.

Meteorological forecasts suggest that hurricane conditions are expected to continue until Friday evening, raising fears of further worsening humanitarian situations.

Lazzarini said UNRWA staff, many of whom are refugees, continue to work in very difficult conditions to help affected families. Their efforts include draining waste and floodwaters, cleaning up piled up garbage, distributing tarpaulins, winter clothes, and blankets, and providing emergency medical care.

UNRWA's director of affairs in the occupied West Bank Roland Friedrich said people in Gaza were facing a "very serious situation" as winter weather hit the region.

"A lot of tents and other shelter materials that enter the Gaza Strip are not enough," he told The National.

"It's a very serious situation, especially now with rain and cold and people living in tents," he said.

UNRWA previously said rainfall in Gaza exacerbated the humanitarian situation faced by hundreds of thousands of refugees, especially in camps and areas that lacked basic protection.

Storm Byron has #Gaza in its grip.

People who had already lost everything & need everything face another layer of misery.

More hardship for displaced families living in makeshift shelters with rain bringing floods, damage & additional health threats.

UNRWA teams — displaced… pic.twitter.com/hRN25JVlXP

— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) December 11, 2025

Storm Byron has #Gaza in its grip.

People who had already lost everything & need everything face another layer of error.

More difficulty forplaced families living in makeshift shelters with rain bringing floods, damage & additional health threats.

UNRWA teams 'displaced... pic.twitter.com/hRN25JVlXP

"The roads that are inundated with water and water seeping into the tent exacerbate the living conditions that are already terrible," X tweeted.

The agency noted that extreme cold weather, population density, and lack of cleanliness increase the risk of disease and infection, especially among children.

UNRWA stressed that this increasing suffering could be avoided through a smooth flow of humanitarian aid, including medical supplies and adequate housing materials that would allow families to face harsh winter conditions in a safe and dignified manner.

Although a fragile ceasefire has been in effect since early October, humanitarian needs in the region are urgent. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled their homes during the two years of Israeli attacks are now taking refuge in tents that provide little protection against the cold.

At least 761 refugee camps hosting about 850,000 people at high risk of flooding, the United Nations has warned. Thousands of people have moved due to heavy rains.

Meanwhile, Gaza's civil defense agency said it had received more than 2,500 makeshift calls from people whose tents and shelters were damaged by the storm.

However, their team was unable to overcome it due to fuel shortages and equipment damage. Israel destroyed hundreds of vehicles, including bulldozers and other tools used to pump water, during the conflict, the agency said.

Humanitarian groups have said too little aid has entered Gaza since the ceasefire came into place. Meanwhile, UN and Palestinian officials say at least 300,000 new tents are urgently needed for nearly 1.5 million people who are still displaced. Most of the existing shelters are obsolete or made of thin plastic sheets and fabrics.