Six children die of hypothermia amid freezing conditions in Gaza

According to medical officials, at least six Palestinian infants perished from hypothermia in the Gaza Strip as a result of a severe cold.

Three newborns, ages one to two days old, died shortly after being admitted, according to Dr. Saeed Salah, the medical director of the Gaza City Friends of the Patient Charitable Hospital. A sixth death was reported in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, on Tuesday morning, along with two more children who also passed away.

The civil defense agency in Gaza also confirmed that six newborns had died as a result of the previous week’s severe cold.

Salah said his hospital’s nursery department had recently received eight cases of severe hypothermia, all requiring intensive care.

“Doctors confirmed that these newborn babies arrived to the hospital not suffering from any particular diseases”, said Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from the medical facility.

They were simply born, and their families haven’t had a chance to keep them warm, he said, which has been the case since the area’s cold weather has recently struck.

Hamas decried the deaths of the newborns, calling them a result of Israel’s “criminal” policies. Additionally, it urged the international community to intervene and allow the Gaza Strip to receive shelter and other essential humanitarian supplies in a statement.

The Israeli army did not respond right away.

Israel continues to thwart the entry of temporary housing into Gaza despite agreeing to do so in accordance with the ceasefire agreement.

At the Rafah crossing with Egypt, thousands of mobile homes are still stranded and awaiting Israeli entry into the besieged Palestinian territory.

At least eight newborns died in Gaza from hypothermia in December alone, according to the UN, and 74 children also perished “amid the brutal winter conditions.”

Israeli attacks on the healthcare system in the West Bank

The escalating attacks on healthcare facilities in the occupied West Bank have also sparked concern from the World Health Organization (WHO).

“We see the current flashpoints of violence, attacks on healthcare … starkly rising in the West Bank”, Dr Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, told journalists during a press briefing from Gaza on Tuesday.

The WHO documented 694 attacks on West Bank healthcare facilities between April and December 2024.

In recent months, Israeli military operations have increased, particularly in the north.

In Tulkarem refugee camp, Israeli forces have maintained a siege for 30 consecutive days, forcibly displacing residents.

Faisal Salama, head of the Popular Committee for Tulkarem Camp Services, told Wafa news on Tuesday that Israeli forces had demolished at least 40 residential buildings, including 100 apartments, and set fire to at least 10 homes.

In Jenin, where Israel has been conducting a month-long assault, more than 20, 000 people have been forcibly displaced.

Source: Aljazeera