THE Palestinian death toll from Storm Byron reached at least 14 today, after a baby died from the cold.

In an interview with the Al Jazeera network, the grandfather of the baby boy who died said his family had been sheltering in a house with no roof after their house was bombed by the Israelis.

“We were surprised to hear his mother screaming, saying, ‘My son is blue!’ so we carried the boy and went to al-Rantisi Hospital,” the grandfather explained.

He added: “His temperature remained between 33° and 34°, which has affected all his organs. His brain began to deteriorate, and that was the end of it.”

The desperate conditions that Palestinians were already suffering in Gaza have worsened with the onset of Storm Byron.

The storm has brought heavy rainfall and strong winds which has led to flash flooding and major wind damage.

A house reportedly collapsed on its residents today in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood in Gaza City due to the extreme weather and rainfall. There are no immediate reports on injuries or fatalities caused by the collapse.

The Gaza Health Ministry says they have recorded at least 12 incidents of previously shelled buildings collapsing as a result of the storm.

The ministry said its police forces are helping civil defence and municipal teams conduct rescue operations despite limited resources as several people remain missing and are believed to be under the rubble.

Jonathan Fowler, a spokesperson for the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), said: “We as Unrwa remain banned by the Israeli authorities from bringing anything into Gaza. It is a political choice to deny us the possibility of bringing that aid in.”

The Gaza Health Ministry said: “What is happening now is a wake-up call for everyone to face up to their responsibilities,” as they called on the international community to order Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza.