At least four Palestinian babies have died of hypothermia in southern Gaza in just 72 hours, due to rising temperatures and ongoing Israeli siege on essential winter supplies.
The infants who died are— Aisha Al-Qassas, Ali Issam Saqr, Ali Hossam Azzam, and Sila Mahmoud Al-Faseeh.
On Wednesday, December 25, a three-week old girl had died overnight from freezing because her tent was not properly sealed to keep out wind.
On Thursday, December 26, Dr. Munir al-Bursh, the director general of the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, wrote in a post on X that, “Sila Mahmoud al-Faseeh froze to death from the extreme cold in the tents located on the beach in Mawasi Khan Yunis, in the area declared by the Israeli occupation as a temporary safe humanitarian zone for displaced persons.”
“In the morning, when her mother was going to breastfeed her again, we found her blue, with blood coming from her mouth due to the cold,” Sila’s father said in a video shared by Dr Munir, holding her in a white shroud with her purple lips visible against her pale face.
In another post on X, Dr Munir wrote, “Not tents, but refrigerators of death. Two baby girls were martyred within one week due to the extreme cold in the displacement tents in the Gaza Strip, and we are still in the first days of winter.”
Children in Gaza are also dying of malnutrition due to Israel’s reliance on aid and necessities.
Dr Munir reported that the war has resulted in more than 17,600 children’s deaths.
The war began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas infiltrated southern Israel, sending fighters, firing 5,000 rockets, and taking hostages, which prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to warn of “a long and difficult war.“
Since then, Israel has been launching a devastating offensive on Gaza, despite a UN Security Council resolution requesting an immediate cease-fire.
In Gaza, 45,436 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 108,038 others injured,
On the Israeli side, about 1,200 people have been killed and more than 250 hostages taken.
Israel continues its massacres, disregarding UN Security Council resolutions and International Court of Justice orders to prevent genocide and improve humanitarian situation in Gaza.
