Three newborn babies have tragically died in Gaza City due to extreme cold and the absence of proper shelter, the medical director of the Friends of the Patient Charity Hospital, Said Salah, confirmed on Monday. He stated that the infants, all under two months old, arrived at the hospital with dangerously low body temperatures, suffering from circulatory failure that impacted their breathing, kidneys, liver, and brain functions.

The infants had been living in displacement tents made of fabric and nylon, which offered no protection against the bitter cold. Salah warned that unless urgent action is taken, more children will succumb to the freezing temperatures, as Gaza continues to experience an intense cold wave, with stormy winds and heavy rainfall destroying makeshift shelters.

Ahmed Al-Fara, head of the paediatrics department at Nasser Medical Complex, sounded the alarm over the growing number of infant deaths. He stressed that newborns cannot endure the unprecedented drop in temperatures, especially in the absence of basic necessities such as blankets, clothing, and heating. He described the situation as unbearably tragic, with the death toll expected to rise.

In January, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reported that approximately seven newborns were dying each month in Gaza due to the cold and lack of shelter. Additionally, 7,700 newborns were deprived of life-saving medical care.

Displaced Palestinians, whose homes were destroyed by Israeli bombardment, are now struggling to survive in tents ill-suited for the harsh winter. With scarce access to food, water, and medical supplies, as well as a severe shortage of warm clothing and blankets, thousands are left defenceless against the freezing conditions, enduring yet another layer of suffering in an already devastating humanitarian crisis.