Daijiworld Media Network - Gaza
Gaza, Dec 20: Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has sounded a grave warning that babies and young children in the Gaza Strip are dying due to harsh winter conditions, urging Israel to ease its blockade on humanitarian aid even as military operations continue despite the ceasefire.
Citing the death of a 29-day-old premature baby, Said Asad Abedin, from severe hypothermia in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, MSF said winter storms, combined with already dire living conditions, are sharply increasing health risks for vulnerable children. According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, at least 13 people have died due to extreme weather conditions so far.
Earlier this week, another two-week-old infant, Mohammed Khalil Abu al-Khair, reportedly froze to death after being exposed to the cold without proper shelter or clothing.
Ahmed al-Farra, head of the maternity paediatric department at Nasser Medical Complex, warned that hypothermia poses a serious threat to newborns. “If nothing is provided for families living in tents — heating, mobile homes or caravans — we will see more and more deaths,” he said.
MSF staff have reported that children are arriving at hospitals with dangerously low body temperatures and near-fatal vital signs. “Babies are losing their lives because they lack the most basic items needed for survival,” said Bilal Abu Saada, a nursing supervisor at Nasser Hospital.
In addition to hypothermia-related deaths, MSF noted a surge in respiratory infections, particularly among children under five, which is expected to worsen as winter progresses. Heavy rains and storms have left hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians struggling in flooded and damaged tents. MSF has called on Israeli authorities to urgently allow a massive scale-up of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Meanwhile, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported continued Israeli military activity, including demolitions, artillery shelling and gunfire east of Gaza City and Khan Younis. On Friday, at least six people were killed in an Israeli strike on a shelter housing displaced Palestinians. The Israeli military claimed it was targeting “suspects.” Graphic footage from the site showed civilians attempting to rescue the wounded amid widespread panic.
The agency also reported Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank, where military vehicles entered az-Zawiya town west of Salfit, with residents allegedly beaten and homes stormed.
Severe weather in recent weeks has flooded or destroyed more than 53,000 tents used as makeshift shelters across Gaza. With infrastructure devastated, flooding and sewage overflow have become common, forcing displaced families to seek refuge in unstable, partially collapsed buildings. At least 13 such structures reportedly collapsed last week.
One grieving mother, Eman Abu al-Khair, described how her two-week-old son Mohammed died after being exposed to freezing temperatures inside their tent in al-Mawasi near Khan Younis. “His body was cold as ice,” she said, recounting how heavy rain and lack of transport delayed their journey to hospital. Mohammed died two days after being admitted to intensive care.
UN agencies have said that since the ceasefire came into effect on October 10, Israel has continued to restrict the entry of critical supplies such as tents and blankets. An estimated 55,000 families have had their shelters damaged or destroyed by storms, while dozens of child-friendly spaces serving around 30,000 children have also been affected.
Natasha Hall, senior advocate at Refugees International, told Al Jazeera that aid is entering Gaza only in a “trickle,” partly due to Israel’s list of so-called “dual-use items,” which reportedly includes essential goods such as nappies, bandages and tents.
As winter conditions worsen, humanitarian agencies warn that without immediate and unrestricted aid, more preventable deaths — especially among children — are likely to follow.