Nine Palestinians have been martyred by Israeli occupation army fire in various parts of the Gaza Strip since dawn on Sunday, according to medical sources, as the Winter Emergency Committee warned of worsening humanitarian conditions ahead of the winter season amid continued Israeli restrictions.
Gaza’s Interior Ministry said several people were martyred and wounded after Israeli occupation forces targeted police officers while they were carrying out their duties in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis.
Nasser Medical Complex said five Palestinians were martyred and others wounded in an Israeli drone strike on Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Meanwhile, Al-Shifa Medical Complex reported that three Palestinians, including a child, were martyred in an Israeli drone strike on the Al-Rimal neighborhood, west of Gaza City.
Separately, a source with the ambulance and emergency services reported that people had been wounded by Israeli gunfire in Jabalia Al-Balad, north of the Strip, outside areas under Israeli control.
Five Palestinians were killed today in an Israeli airstrike on a police post in Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. https://t.co/Oy4ZS4NDkN
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) November 1, 2026
Warnings of Winter Dangers
The Winter Emergency Committee in the Gaza Strip warned that humanitarian conditions were likely to deteriorate as winter approaches, citing the widespread use of dilapidated tents, thousands of shelters in flood-prone areas, damage to buildings and infrastructure, and shortages of equipment and fuel needed to respond to severe weather systems.
At a press conference on Sunday, the committee announced the launch of its winter preparedness and response plan under the slogan “Together Toward a Safe Winter.” It warned that continued Israeli restrictions on the entry of shelter supplies, heavy machinery, spare parts, and fuel could bring the Strip’s service infrastructure to a halt in the coming months.
Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense, said the Strip was facing a difficult winter amid the extensive damage caused by the war.
He said approximately 7,800 tents were located in hazardous areas and needed to be relocated urgently. These included valleys, flood channels, rainwater collection basins, and coastal areas exposed to waves and tidal fluctuations.
Basal called for the construction of a sand barrier along Gaza’s coastline to protect tents and shelters from rising waves. He warned that approximately 200,000 dilapidated tents were housing hundreds of thousands of children, women, and people with disabilities, offering them no minimum level of protection against cold weather and rain.
He also said more than 2,000 buildings across the Gaza Strip were at risk of collapse at any moment, threatening civilian lives, particularly those of families forced to take refuge in destroyed or damaged structures.
Urgent Demands
Regarding technical preparations, Basal said the destruction had affected most municipal facilities, vehicles, and equipment. Approximately 70% of essential operational equipment had been destroyed, along with between 85% and 90% of Civil Defense’s capacity to carry out humanitarian response operations during severe weather systems.
He asserted the Israeli occupation forces are obstructing winter preparations by preventing the entry of heavy machinery, spare parts, lubricants, fuel, and shelter supplies. He warned that the continuation of these restrictions could lead to a complete shutdown of essential services across the Strip.
The committee outlined a series of urgent requirements, including the entry of 200,000 new tents, as well as tents resistant to rain and wind, insulation materials, and tarpaulins. It also called for temporary caravan-style housing units to accommodate displaced families, the entry of construction materials, and the start of reconstruction.
The committee further demanded the provision of three million liters of diesel fuel per month to operate pumps, generators, and machinery, along with water-removal equipment and heavy machinery, including trucks, pumps, and vacuum tankers. It also called for spare parts and lubricants to maintain and operate equipment, as well as an emergency operating budget of $37 million to repair infrastructure networks and secure salaries for humanitarian response teams.
The committee urged residents of low-lying areas, flood channels, and coastal zones to move away from these locations to avoid the risk of drowning. It also called on families living in buildings at risk of collapse to evacuate before severe weather systems arrive.
It appealed to the United Nations, the international community, and the UN Security Council to exert pressure to open border crossings and allow caravans, shelter materials, fuel, and equipment to enter without restrictions.
The committee cautioned that as winter approached, the ongoing conditions were putting hundreds of thousands of Palestinians at risk of cold weather, flooding, and building collapses.
Since October 2023, the Zionist enemy has committed genocide in the Gaza Strip, killing more than 74,000 Palestinians and wounding over 175,000, while destroying approximately 90% of civilian infrastructure.
Hamas Condemns Strikes, Calls on Guarantors to Act to Halt Israeli Crimes
The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas condemned the targeting by Israeli occupation forces of a group of police officers in al-Mawasi, Khan Younis, around midday on Sunday, which left five of them dead, as well as the bombardment of Gaza City, which claimed the lives of three people, including a father and his child, and wounded several others.
The movement called on mediators and the countries guaranteeing the ceasefire agreement to take urgent action to halt the attacks and compel the Israeli government to implement the agreement.
In a press statement, Hamas described the two strikes as a “deliberate war crime” that adds to the ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people. It said the attacks were intended to prevent the restoration of normal life and security in the Gaza Strip, continuing a genocidal war whose tragic consequences Palestinians are still enduring.
The movement said the deliberate and repeated targeting of civilian police officers while they carry out public order and security duties was an attempt to obstruct recovery efforts and the restoration of stability in the Strip, as well as to sow chaos. It said the attacks were part of a policy of forced displacement that the Israeli enemy was seeking to impose on the Palestinian people.
Hamas said international silence and the failure to confront these crimes were encouraging “Israel,” and the government of the war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu continued their policies of killing, destruction, and siege as part of efforts to displace Palestinians from their land.
The movement renewed its call on mediators, the countries guaranteeing the ceasefire agreement, and all concerned parties to act immediately to halt the “daily cycle of criminality and terrorism” against the Palestinian people.
It also called for the Israeli government to be compelled to implement the terms of the agreement, ensure the necessary protection for Palestinians, and guarantee the delivery of humanitarian and relief assistance to them.
Source: Agencies (edited by Al-Manar)