Gaza (Quds News Network)- Five newborns died in Gaza due to extreme cold as Israel continues to ban entry of mobile homes and tents. Dr. Saeed Salah, medical director of the Patients’ Friends Benevolent Society Hospital, said three other infants remain in critical condition.
“In the past two weeks, we admitted eight newborns suffering from severe cold injuries,” Salah said. “Three of them died within hours of arrival. They were only a day or two old, weighing between 1.7 kg and 2 kg. Two have recovered, but three others are still in critical condition. Their survival is uncertain.”
He urged urgent intervention. “We need shelters, fuel, and proper heating to save lives,” Salah pleaded. “A new cold front is approaching, and without immediate action, more newborns will die.”
Palestinian infant Sham Yousef Al-Shambari, 60 days old, passed away this morning inside her family’s tent due to the severe cold in the Mawasi area in Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip.
Winter storms, strong winds, and heavy rain have deepened the suffering of displaced Palestinians. Thousands now live in makeshift tents after Israeli airstrikes destroyed their homes. Many returnees to northern Gaza found their homes uninhabitable.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that over 500,000 people have returned to the northern areas. “Food, water, and shelter remain critical needs,” OCHA stated. However, aid deliveries remain insufficient.
The Gaza Government Media Office stated that Israel has been restricting aid. “Shelter is an urgent humanitarian necessity,” it said. “Israel is preventing the entry of mobile homes and emergency shelters, putting thousands at risk.”
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UNICEF warned that children in Gaza face extreme danger from the cold. “It’s terrifying for them to be exposed to freezing temperatures,” UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram said. “We’ve already seen children die from hypothermia. Families lack warm clothes and many children have no shoes.”
