Gaza: Infant freezes to death as Israel continues aid blockade
A Palestinian infant has frozen to death in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said, as Israel continues to restrict the entry of shelter supplies and other humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave despite harsh winter conditions.
The two-week-old baby, Mohammed Khalil Abu al-Khair, died a day earlier after being brought for treatment for severe hypothermia caused by the extreme cold gripping Gaza.
At least 14 people lost their lives in a winter storm in Gaza last week. More than 53,000 displacement tents were partially or fully flooded, swept away by torrents, or torn apart by strong winds, and 13 buildings collapsed across the territory.
Israel continues to block the entry of shelter materials such as tents and mobile homes, reneging on its obligations under a ceasefire agreement that entered into force on October 10.
The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA—which the United Nations says is best suited to distribute supplies in the territory—has said the Israeli government has blocked it from bringing aid directly into Gaza.
“People have reportedly died due to the collapse of damaged buildings where families were sheltering. Children have reportedly died from exposure to the cold,” UNRWA said in a social media post on Tuesday. “This must stop. Aid must be allowed in at scale, now.”
Meanwhile, Hamas has condemned Israel for repeated violations of a ceasefire deal that came into effect in October.
At least 393 Palestinians have been killed and 1,074 others wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since the first full day of the ceasefire on October 11, according to the latest figures from the enclave’s Health Ministry.
