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Thousands of people were burned to death when a tent fire broke out in Gaza between a grandmother and her 5-year-old grandson. Palestinian Battling harrowing winter conditions in fragile temporary housing, the humanitarian crisis deepens.
A neighbor said a nylon tent caught fire in Yarmouk on Thursday night due to cooking.
2026 begins with a shaky 12-week ceasefire agreement between the two countries. Israel and Hamas Israel’s large-scale bombing of Gaza has essentially ended. But Palestinians are still being killed by Israeli fire almost daily, and the humanitarian crisis shows no signs of easing.
Cold winter rains have repeatedly battered the sprawling tent cities over the past few weeks, causing flooding, turning Gaza’s dirt roads to mud and causing buildings damaged by Israeli bombings to collapse. unicef It said at least six children have died from weather-related causes, including a 4-year-old who died in a building collapse. At least three children have died from hypothermia, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Aid groups say not enough shelter materials are entering Gaza during the truce. The Israeli military recently released figures showing it was not complying with ceasefire rules that allow 600 trucks to bring aid into Gaza each day, although Israel disputes the finding. There are also concerns that Israel’s recent suspension of operations in Gaza by more than three dozen international aid groups will make the delivery of tents and other supplies more difficult.
Palestinians have long called for mobile homes and caravans to be allowed in to protect them from living in impractical and dilapidated tents. In Yarmouk, people live in nylon tents near a garbage dump.
Ashraf al-Suwair said he was woken by screams as neighbors shouted “Fire! Fire!” He said nylon acted like fuel and could easily ignite. “We need a nice place for the people and children of Gaza, not to be burned to death,” he said.
Foreign minister says Gaza isn’t getting the help it needs
On Friday, the foreign ministers of Arab and Muslim countries, including Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, expressed concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The situation is compounded “by the continued lack of adequate humanitarian access, critical shortages of essential life-saving supplies and the slow entry of essential supplies,” the joint statement said.
According to the Health Ministry, 414 people have been killed and 1,142 injured in Gaza since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The total number of Palestinian war-related deaths is at least 71,266. The ministry does not distinguish between militants and civilians in its statistics, has medical professionals on staff and keeps detailed records that are generally considered reliable by the international community.
The Israel-Hamas war began with a Hamas-led attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which left approximately 1,200 people dead and 251 people taken hostage.
More Israeli raids, arrests in West Bank
Meanwhile, Israel continues its activities in the occupied West Bank.
On Friday, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office said Israel had carried out large-scale attacks in territories including Ramallah and Hebron. Nearly 50 people were detained.
The Israeli military said it had arrested people “involved in terrorist activities.”
At least 50 Palestinians were arrested on Thursday, mostly in the Ramallah area.
The Palestinian Prisoners Association said Israel has arrested 7,000 Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem this year, and 21,000 since the war began on October 7, 2023. Israel has not released the number of arrests from Gaza.
Violence surged in the West Bank during the Gaza war, with Israeli forces launching massive operations against militants that killed hundreds of Palestinians and displaced tens of thousands. There has also been an increase in Israeli settler violence and Palestinian attacks against Israelis.
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For more AP Israel-Hamas coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.