Three newborn Palestinian babies have died from hypothermia in southern Gaza over the past two days as a result of Israel’s ongoing blockade of nearly all necessary life-saving supplies (including electricity, clean water, fuel, food, medicine, and tents) from reaching civilians along with harsh winter conditions that are making survival increasingly less likely.
Doctors reported the death of a three-week-old baby girl on Wednesday who froze overnight in a makeshift tent that provided little protection against the cold, wet weather that has been inundating the war-ravaged occupied territory. The tent was not weatherproofed from the wind, and the cold ground exacerbated the baby’s condition.
Another infant was found unresponsive with blood coming from her mouth on Thursday when her mother went to nurse her. By the time doctors arrived, her lungs had deteriorated, and they declared her dead from hypothermia. Her father shared a heartbreaking video, holding her small, shrouded body and describing how the cold had turned her lips purple and caused her to bite her tongue.
A third baby, a three-day-old infant, also died from the extreme cold, according to Dr. Munir al-Bursh, the director general of Gaza’s Ministry of Health. He described the tents housing displaced Palestinians as “fridges of death.”
The deaths highlight the dire conditions in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are living in derelict, makeshift shelters after fleeing relentless Israeli shelling.
Since October 2023, with the Israeli military blockade restricting the entry of essential supplies such as food, fuel, medicine, and proper shelter, at least 45,259 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have died, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Many others have succumbed to starvation, lack of medical care, and exposure to freezing temperatures.
A United Nations agency report released Tuesday revealed that at least 14,500 children have been killed since the conflict began. The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, issued a damning statement, revealing that one child is killed every hour in Gaza amid the relentless Israeli assault. The UN called for an immediate end to the war, stressing that the loss of so many innocent lives cannot be justified.
Efforts to reach a ceasefire remain stalled, with indirect negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt facing repeated setbacks. Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of hindering progress, leaving the civilian population in Gaza to endure unimaginable suffering.