“Winter has introduced a whole new layer of suffering,” Ghassan Ghaben, co-founder of mutual aid group Reviving Gaza, tells Dazed. Since the end of September, there has technically been a ceasefire in place between Hamas and Israel, but this has done little to improve conditions for people in Gaza, who are still being deprived of basic necessities and being killed at a shocking rate, while now having to contend with extreme weather conditions.

“The reality is that there is no ceasefire. The genocide has slowed down slightly and the famine has been re-engineered to reduce international pressure,” Hala Sabbah, co-founder of The Sameer Project, an initiative which, like Reviving Gaza, provides vital support to displaced families on the ground, tells Dazed.

The genocide may have slowed down, but this is only relative: according to authorities in Gaza, the Israeli military has still killed around 400 Palestinians since Trump’s “peace plan” came into effect. This figure doesn’t even account for the West Bank, which has experienced a sharp surge in violence during the same period. “Israel has violated the ceasefire hundreds of times – over 700 documented breaches in the first two months alone – through continued strikes, shootings, and military incursions that have killed and injured people,” says Ghaben.

Having created an arbitrary new border within Gaza, known as the “yellow line”, the IOF has been shooting at or bombing Palestinians who cross it, including two young children – eight-year old Fadi and ten-year-old Juuma – who were killed in an air strike while collecting firewood for their disabled father. On Friday, Israeli soldiers shelled a school which was hosting a wedding, killing six guests, including a five-month-old baby, and then blocked ambulances from reaching the scene for two hours. This is the “peace” that Trump bragged about securing during a televised address last week.

While more humanitarian aid has reached Gaza in recent months, less than a quarter of the agreed amount has been allowed to enter. Along with food and fuel, Israel has restricted the entry of blankets and tents, which are desperately needed as winter arrives and a series of storms ravage the strip: footage shows apocalyptic scenes of flooded streets, collapsing buildings, and makeshift tents battered by howling winds and torrential rain.

“The situation on the ground is far worse than most people can imagine,” says Ghaben. “Instead of constant airstrikes, people are now battling dehydration, cold, lack of shelter, illness, untreated injuries, and deep psychological trauma. We are seeing families who have been displaced multiple times now living in torn tents or in partially destroyed buildings that remain extremely dangerous and could collapse at any moment.”

Since the genocide began, the UN estimates that over 90 per cent of homes have been destroyed and almost two million Palestinians displaced. Following the recent storms, tens of thousands of people have been left to brave the extreme weather with no shelter at all. “Tents were never designed for people to live in or to last this long, and many are already torn and collapsing,” says Ghassan. “With the first heavy rain, entire camps turned into mud. We see children sleeping in damp clothes, families losing the few blankets they have to floodwater, and parents standing helplessly as their tents collapse overnight.” At least 13 people, including two new born babies, have already frozen to death. Winter has only just begun, and countless more Palestinians – particularly the young, elderly and disabled – are at risk of hypothermia.

Far from improving their situation in any meaningful way, the “ceasefire” has led to an even greater abandonment of Gaza’s population. “There is a dangerous misconception that a ceasefire equals relief. Since it was announced, we have seen a very clear decline in donations to Gaza. Public attention shifted, and many people have assumed that the genocide has ended. But the reality is very different,” says Ghaben.

As well as the lack of adequate shelter, most people still can’t afford to buy food, gas prices are still prohibitively expensive, and the healthcare system still faces dangerous shortages of medication and equipment. “Palestinians in Gaza feel like the world has forgotten about them. The drop in international pressure and donations means that they’re not wrong,” says Sabbah.

The Sameer Project is running a winter appeal focused on clearing rubble, rebuilding homes, constructing barriers against flooding and providing tents, tarps and blankets. Reviving Gaza is continuing its work in providing clean and safe drinking water, which remains one of the most serious daily challenges people face. Prioritising the most vulnerable families, it is also providing tarpaulins, helping repair damaged tents, and clearing rubble so that families have at least a minimally safe space to sleep, explains Ghaben. But both groups are facing a severe lack of resources.

It is almost Christmas. It feels jarring that people around the world are gearing up to celebrate a story about a Palestinian figure, which takes place in Palestine, at a time when so many Palestinians are being forced to endure a level of suffering that most of us can only imagine. Donating to a mutual aid fund can’t or shouldn’t offset that discomfort, but it is the very least we can do. “Grief has become part of daily life, and people are only now beginning to process the loss of loved ones, homes, and entire communities. This emotional toll is layered on top of extreme deprivation and the continuous attempts by the occupation to keep Gaza unlivable,” says Ghaben.

Until it’s possible to rebuild Gaza, its people are asking for the bare minimum needed to survive the winter: clean water, food, warmth, and shelter. “Every donation right now has a direct and tangible impact,” he adds. “Support at this moment is not just important – it is lifesaving.”