Recently, at least six Palestinian newborn babies died in the extreme cold of Gaza as families tried to survive in the winter with little shelter, no heating and insufficient humanitarian assistance.
Hospital director Saeed Salah said on Monday that a friend at the Patient Charity Hospital has received nine premature babies in the past two weeks, dyspnea, failure of blood circulation, low blood pressure and some caused by bad weather. Organ dysfunction. When the babies arrived at the hospital’s neonatal unit, Salah said their temperature was below 34 degrees Celsius, in other words, hypothermia.
“We immediately treated these babies with the established cold injury regimen,” the doctor told Middle Eastern Eye. “But, although we managed to preserve some of the conditions, we couldn’t save others. This is due to their crucial body [temperature] Or because they arrived too late. ”
Of the nine babies, five of them died. The remaining three babies were treated and discharged to their families, and one ventilator received critical support on the ventilator as medical staff stabilized their blood pressure. In addition, another baby died on Tuesday morning on a cold Tuesday – this time in southern Gaza, inside the family’s tent.
(Editor’s Note: Image depicts death) Relatives kissed the body of 2-month-old Shem al-Shambari, who died in extreme cold in the family’s temporary tent 25, 2025. Hani Alshaer/Anadolu via Getty Images
Five babies who died in the hospital were from Northern Gaza until the current ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was besieged by humanitarian aid as Israeli forces turned the area (from family homes to hospitals) into rubble. Displaced Palestinians have begun to return north, but there is little shelter and no heat in the middle of the cold and rainy winter.
“The cold is definitely a problem. Even people who come home usually don’t have four walls around them. They only have some kind of solid structure that works as a shelter and then still have a tarp.
“They brought the tent to what they had left in their homes and survived there. They had no electricity, no refrigeration, no lights,” he continued. “It’s not everyone can go home. In Gaza, there’s not much left over.”
Local journalists documented Palestinian efforts to survive in the winter, with only one tent (made of items such as fabric, plastic and cardboard) often flooded due to frequent rain and wind. According to the United Nations, more than 945,000 Palestinians need winterization support.
“Adults can survive in the 50-degree winter – but even adults don’t get wet often. I mean, you’re talking about wet for three consecutive months,” Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, who volunteered in Gaza, told “Now Democracy!” in December. “In addition, they are not only wet, but they also live on land without sewage systems. This is one of the most crowded places in the world. …1.8 million people live in a place with 121 toilets. It’s really terrifying Outrageous.”
The baby was treated on February 25, 2025 at a hospital near Gasaramale. Five of the nine children hospitalized for hypothermia in the past two weeks died, while three infants recovered from treatment. Hasan NH Alzaanin/Anadolu by Getty Images
The UN agency responsible for assisting Palestinian refugees said eight babies died in extreme cold in January alone, bringing the total number of babies who died of hypothermia this winter to 15 years old.
Tess Ingram, a spokesman for UNICEF, told Al Jazeera: “For children under these conditions, it is not only fearful to appear outside, exposed to the cold, but also to their health. Very dangerous.”
“We have killed many of the hypothermia children in Gaza and when you meet with your family, it’s clear that they are not protecting them from this cold.” “Families lack warm clothing for their children. There are a lot of kids without shoes.”
When the Ceasefire Agreement came into effect on January 19, Israel agreed to increase humanitarian assistance to Gaza, including 60,000 caravans and 200,000 tents. But aid groups and Palestinians say shelters and fuel aid to enter the territory are not sufficient.
“What I understand about humanitarian colleagues is that there are many challenges in getting tents, caravans and tarps,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General. “We continue to push. Some are being Go in, but we need more.”
A Palestinian woman wrapped her own blanket in a temporary camp to keep warm as displaced families endured cold weather and difficult living conditions of Deir al-Balah of Gaza and in 2025 February 25, 2019. Ashraf Amra/Anadolu by Getty Images
According to the Israeli military branch, responsible for aid entering Gaza, aid trucks that entered Gaza in January carried 4,807 tons of shelter equipment, 1,556 tons of natural gas and 1,244 tons of medical supplies. The UN Relief and Works Agency also distributed 2,485 tents in northern Jabalia and Gaza earlier this month, while Shelter Partners issued 2,358 tents in the northern part last week.
A Cogat spokesperson did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
“The failure to provide these essentials, coupled with the extreme cold, will inevitably increase the death toll. That’s why I urge everyone to acknowledge the gravity of the situation,” Salah said. “We’re talking about five deaths in two weeks. It’s a shocking figure that can’t be ignored.”
