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The cold is settling in, and North Gaza is facing a dire shortage of blankets. In a heartbreaking twist, many blankets have been given as burial shrouds for those lost, in place of traditional white cloths. This final act of generosity, using something so precious to honor the dead, reflects a community striving to preserve dignity when everything else is stripped away. Despite the enemy’s disregard, or perhaps because of it, families have chosen to sacrifice even their warmth to ensure the humanity of their loved ones in death. Blankets are also used to transport the injured, but once stained with blood, they are difficult to clean and can no longer be reused.

However, the blanket shortage in Mashrou Bait Lahia has an even darker cause. Just last week, the Israeli army broke into Kamal Adwan Hospital. In a devastating act, they set the ground floor ablaze, destroying essential medications and medical supplies. But it didn’t stop there. Soldiers ordered the 300 families taking refuge in the hospital to surrender all of their blankets. The very items that provided them warmth, a semblance of comfort in these harsh times, were piled together and set on fire to fuel the destruction. Then, after the blankets were reduced to ashes, these families were forced out into the cold.

Imagine what that means. In a place where everything else has been stripped away, a blanket becomes a treasure—a shield against the elements, a fragile source of comfort. With temperatures dropping, these families are now left to sleep on bare floors, clutching their jackets as their only barrier against the chill. This assault on their dignity, on their basic right to warmth and shelter, is another brutal reminder of the relentless suffering the people endure daily.