Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled Sunday for an expected meeting Monday in Florida with President Donald Trump, as negotiations over a second phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire face mounting obstacles.
Netanyahu made no public statement as he departed.
The ceasefire’s first phase, which took effect Oct. 10, was intended to bring a surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza, including shelter.
But aid organizations and an Associated Press analysis of Israeli military figures said deliveries are falling short of levels envisioned under the U.S.-brokered deal, as winter storms worsen conditions for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians.
In the southern city of Khan Younis, rainwater flooded tent camps, soaking blankets and mattresses and swamping clay ovens used for cooking. Children in flip-flops and light clothing waded through puddles while residents used shovels to try to push water out of tents.
“We drowned last night,” said Majdoleen Tarabein, displaced from Rafah. “Puddles formed, and there was a bad smell. The tent flew away. We don’t know what to do or where to go.”
Eman Abu Riziq, also displaced in Khan Younis, said water entered her family’s tent overnight, leaving mattresses soaked. She said the family is still grieving her husband’s recent death and is exhausted by the struggle to keep dry.
At least 12 people, including a 2-week-old infant, have died since Dec. 13 from hypothermia or weather-related collapses of war-damaged homes, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, part of the terrorist group Hamas' standing government.
Emergency workers have warned residents not to stay in damaged buildings because they could collapse, but with much of Gaza in ruins there are few places to escape the rain. The United Nations estimated in July that nearly 80% of buildings in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged.
Since the ceasefire began, 414 people have been killed and 1,142 wounded in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry. The overall Palestinian death toll from the war has reached at least 71,266, the ministry said.
The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and militants, but is staffed by medical professionals and keeps detailed records that are generally regarded as credible by international observers.
Israel’s military body overseeing humanitarian aid said 4,200 aid trucks entered Gaza in the past week, along with eight garbage trucks, winter clothing and tents. It did not provide a tally of tents. Aid groups say the need far exceeds supplies entering the territory.
The Shelter Cluster, an international coalition led by the Norwegian Refugee Council, said roughly 72,000 tents and 403,000 tarps have entered Gaza since the ceasefire began.
Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, said winter weather is compounding the crisis and that aid is not being allowed in at the scale required.
Though the ceasefire has largely held, progress toward a second phase has slowed. Israel has said it will not move forward while the remains of the final hostage killed in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack remain in Gaza. Hamas has said the widespread destruction has hampered efforts to recover remains.
The next phase is expected to confront difficult issues, including the deployment of an international stabilization force, formation of a technocratic governing body for Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas terrorists and further Israeli troop withdrawals.
Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the truce.
Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump comes as the two leaders navigate differences on a range of regional issues, including Gaza, Iran, Syria and Lebanon. Israeli officials said Netanyahu is expected to press for a tougher U.S. stance in ceasefire talks and seek U.S. support for confronting Iran’s ballistic missile program.
The Trump administration has also raised concerns about the risk of escalation in Lebanon and about Israeli military actions inside Syria, according to people familiar with U.S. deliberations.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this story.
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