The official Palestinian News Agency (Wafa), citing local sources, reported the death of the one-month-old infant, Ali Al-Batran, on Monday morning, in the Deir Al-Balah area in the central Gaza Strip. The sources indicated that Ali is the twin of the child Jumaa, who died yesterday as a result of the extreme cold in a tent housing their family. This comes amid difficult humanitarian conditions for the displaced people in the Gaza Strip, where they have been living in tents since the destruction of their homes. Estimates indicate that the number of deaths may increase due to the deteriorating conditions these families are living in in light of the continuing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
The cry of the father of the deceased infant, Jumaa Al-Batran: Help us, the children are dying from the cold pic.twitter.com/VheHTZ4nVZ
– Tel Aviv Tribune Mubasher (@ajmubasher) December 29, 2024
The sources reported that 4 newborn babies, aged between 4 and 21 days, died a few days ago due to low temperatures and extreme cold.
On Monday, the government media office in Gaza announced that the number of deaths among the displaced in tents had risen to 7 within one week as a result of cold and frost waves.
At the same time, users of social media platforms circulated video clips documenting the suffering of infants who lost their lives due to the cold. Among the cases that aroused widespread sympathy were pictures of the 20-day-old baby Aisha Al-Qassas, who died in Mawasi Khan Yunis as a result of extreme cold.
The twenty-day-old baby girl, Aisha Al-Qassas, was martyred as a result of the extreme cold inside her tent in Mawasi, Khan Yunis. pic.twitter.com/3RmXJLebLZ
– #Jerusalem_Rises 🇵🇸 (@MyPalestine0) December 20, 2024
The coastal area of Al-Mawasi, west of Rafah, which Israel previously classified as a “humanitarian area,” was also subjected to multiple Israeli attacks over the years.
At the same time, Gaza is facing harsh weather conditions, as a depression caused a sharp drop in temperatures, accompanied by severe frost waves.
Meteorological forecasts warn of the possibility of heavy rains in the Strip, which increases the risks threatening the lives of the displaced people who are living in alternative tents after the destruction of their homes and residential neighborhoods. Activists have circulated video clips on social media platforms highlighting the tragic conditions that these displaced people are suffering from.
Strong winds uproot the tents of the displaced from their places, severe cold kills infants, and sea water and heavy rain submerge everyone.
This is the situation now in the Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/3wKeDRJHoq
— Tamer | Tamer (@tamerqdh) December 28, 2024
The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced the death of Doctor Ahmed Al-Zaharna, who was working at the Gaza European Hospital and the Red Cross Field Hospital, as a result of the extreme cold. His lifeless body was found inside his tent in the Al-Mawasi area, west of the city of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
Nurse Ahmed Al-Zaharna, who works at the Gaza European Hospital and the Red Cross Field Hospital, died. His body was found inside his tent in the Al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Yunis, as a result of the extreme cold. pic.twitter.com/cGCksGR1I3
– Al-Qastal News (@AlQastalps) December 27, 2024
Children of Gaza face death due to the cold
The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, confirmed on Saturday that the children of Gaza are suffering from extreme cold, as they freeze to death due to the lack of shelter and basic needs. He stated in a tweet on the “X” platform that winter supplies and blankets have been stuck for months awaiting approval to bring them into the Gaza Strip.
For its part, the Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that the death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression since October 2023 amounted to 45,361 martyrs, in addition to 107,803 injured, in light of the deteriorating humanitarian conditions.