GAZA UNDER STORM “BIRON”WINTER IS TURNED INTO A WEAPON – THE WORLD MUST ACT NOW

MAPIM MEDIA STATEMENT

GAZA UNDER STORM “BIRON”
WINTER IS TURNED INTO A WEAPON – THE WORLD MUST ACT NOW

Kuala Lumpur | 18 December 2025

The Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organizations (MAPIM) expresses grave alarm and deep outrage at the devastating impact of the polar depression “Biron” on the Gaza Strip, which has further exposed the scale of an already engineered humanitarian catastrophe.

The loss of lives, the collapse of homes previously damaged by bombardment, the destruction of tens of thousands of displacement tents, and the suffering of more than a quarter of a million displaced civilians are not isolated consequences of bad weather. They are the direct and predictable result of prolonged military assault, systematic destruction, and a suffocating blockade that denies Gaza even the most basic means of protection.

Winter did not kill these people. Policies did.

The figures reported by the Government Media Office in Gaza are staggering and morally indefensible:

Civilians killed as bombed structures collapsed under severe weather

More than 53,000 tents damaged or destroyed, leaving families exposed to cold, mud, and rain

Massive losses across shelter, water, sanitation, food, health, agriculture, and energy sectors

Preliminary material losses estimated at USD 4 million, a devastating blow to a population already stripped of livelihoods and dignity

MAPIM stresses that these losses cannot be separated from Israel’s deliberate obstruction of humanitarian relief. The continued refusal to allow the entry of hundreds of thousands of tents, mobile homes, caravans, shelter materials, fuel, and emergency supplies constitutes collective punishment and a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

This is not a failure of aid delivery. This is the intentional prevention of survival.

Women, children, the elderly, the sick, and newborn babies are now enduring freezing temperatures in flooded tents and makeshift shelters that offer no protection. The risk of disease outbreaks, malnutrition, hypothermia, and further loss of life is immediate and severe.

MAPIM therefore states clearly:

1. Israel bears full and direct responsibility for the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, including the impact of storm “Biron,” as a consequence of its ongoing genocidal war, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and blockade.
2. The international community’s inaction has enabled this suffering. Silence, delay, and diplomatic excuses now amount to complicity.
3. Humanitarian access is not optional. It is a legal obligation under international law and the Geneva Conventions.

MAPIM urgently calls on:

The United Nations and all its agencies

International humanitarian and relief organizations

Mediators and guarantors of any ceasefire arrangements

Governments, especially those with influence over Israel

to immediately and unconditionally pressure for:

The full opening of all border crossings

The unrestricted entry of tents, mobile homes, caravans, shelter materials, fuel, food, medicine, and winter supplies

International monitoring to ensure aid reaches civilians without obstruction

Genuine protection for displaced populations ahead of further winter storms

The reality in Gaza is catastrophic by every definition of the word. Each passing day without action condemns more civilians to suffering that is entirely preventable.

MAPIM warns that history will not judge the world by its statements of concern, but by whether it acted when Gaza was freezing, flooded, and abandoned.

Humanity must not fail Gaza again.

Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid
President
Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organizations (MAPIM)