Six newborns freeze to death in Gaza amid Israeli aid block
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Harsh conditions exacerbated by "Israel's" siege and block of aid have left thousands of Palestinians without shelter suffering in the cold temperatures.
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A Palestinian infant lies in intensive care with hypothermia at Al-Aqsa Martyr's Hospital in Deir al-Balah, on December 24, 2024. (AP)
Six newborn babies have died amid freezing temperatures, which have gripped Gaza over the past week, Gaza's Civil Defense agency revealed on Tuesday.
"As a result of a severe cold wave and the lack of heating, we have recorded the deaths of six newborns during the past week up until today," agency spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal told AFP.
In detail, Bassal explained that "5 of them died in the northern Gaza Strip, while the sixth died in Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis due to the severe cold."
Temperatures have fallen to zero degrees Celsius in recent days as a cold front has gripped the eastern Mediterranean.
Northern Gaza bear the brunt of cold, aid block
Saeed Salah, Director of the Patient's Friends Benevolent Society Hospital in Gaza, told Anadolu Agency that nine infants in northern Gaza were hospitalized in the past two weeks due to health complications caused by severe cold.
"Of the nine cases, five babies aged between one day and two weeks died," the doctor added, further explaining that one baby is still on a ventilator owing to his terrible medical condition, while three others have been discharged from the hospital.
He noted that the nine newborns were taken to the hospital from northern Gaza, where the majority of the population has been evacuated and is living in tents as a result of "Israel's" bombardment of the area.
Salah urged the international community to intervene and enable the entry of mobile homes, tents, and gasoline into Gaza to provide shelter for thousands of Palestinians.
On its end, the Palestinian Resistance group Hamas blamed "Israel's" "criminal policies" for the newborns' death in Gaza.
In a statement, the organization demanded quick involvement "to stop Israel's violations of the ceasefire agreement and allow the entry of urgent shelter, heating, and medical aid supplies into Gaza for the children there."
"This is crucial to protect the children of Gaza."
According to Gaza's official media office, the Israeli war on Gaza has left roughly 1.5 million Palestinians without housing or shelter.
UK doctors warn Gaza war’s long-term impact could quadruple death toll
British doctors who worked in Gaza during the war have issued grave warnings about the long-term health consequences for Palestinians, predicting that many will continue to die.
The widespread prevalence of infectious diseases, malnutrition-related health issues, and the destruction of hospitals—along with the killing of medical professionals—will lead to persistently high mortality rates even after Israeli shelling ceased.
British-Palestinian reconstructive surgeon, Prof. Ghassan Abu Sittah, who worked in Gaza’s Al-Shifa and Al-Ahli Arab hospitals, highlighted the severe malnutrition affecting children, stating that many "will never recover."
Estimates suggest that deaths from the Israeli genocide in Gaza could eventually reach up to 186,000, a figure nearly four times higher than the 46,700 killings reported by Gaza's Health Ministry.
Prof. Nizam Mamode, a retired British transplant surgeon, warned that "non-trauma deaths" could exceed 186,000, citing the targeting of healthcare workers during the Israeli war. He noted that of the six vascular surgeons who once covered the northern Gaza Strip, only one remained, and no cancer pathologists were left alive.
Abu Sittah said entire teams of medical specialists had been wiped out, and it could take up to 10 years to replace them. "Certain specialties have been eviscerated," he said, pointing out that there are no nephrologists or board-certified emergency medicine physicians left.
