Gaza (QNN)- Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned that babies and children in Gaza are dying from harsh winter weather. The group urged Israel to end its aid blockade as the occupation state continues to violate the ceasefire and press on with its genocidal war.
MSF cited the death of a 29-day-old premature baby, Said Asad Abedin, from severe hypothermia in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. The baby arrived at Nasser Hospital and died hours later despite treatment. MSF said winter storms, combined with dire living conditions, are raising serious health risks.
The Ministry of Health said extreme weather has killed at least 13 people as of Thursday. Earlier this week, a two-week-old baby, Mohammed Khalil Abu al-Khair, also died from exposure after his family lacked proper shelter and clothing.
Ahmed al-Farra, head of the maternity pediatric department at Nasser Medical Complex, warned that hypothermia poses grave danger to infants. He said families in tents need heating, mobile homes, and caravans. Without them, more children will die.
Bilal Abu Saada, a nursing supervisor at Nasser Hospital, said children are dying because they lack basic survival items. He told MSF that babies arrive at hospitals cold, with life-threatening vital signs.
MSF also reported high rates of respiratory infections. The group expects cases to rise through winter, especially among children under five.
Heavy rains and storms continue to batter Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians live in flooded, damaged tents. MSF called on Israeli authorities to allow a massive and urgent scale-up of aid into the Strip.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces shelled areas east of Gaza City and fired shots east of Khan Younis on Saturday. On Friday, an Israeli strike hit a shelter for displaced people and killed at least six. The Israeli military claimed it fired at “suspects.” Videos showed injured civilians, mostly children, and chaos at the scene.
Winter conditions have destroyed more than 53,000 tents across Gaza in recent weeks. Flooded streets and sewage overflows spread fast due to widespread destruction. Many families now shelter in partially collapsed buildings despite the risk. Thirteen buildings collapsed across Gaza last week.
Since the October 10 ceasefire, Israel has continued to block humanitarian aid into Gaza. UN agencies say Israel has stopped tents and blankets from reaching families, even as storms damaged or destroyed shelters for an estimated 55,000 families. Dozens of child-friendly spaces were also damaged, affecting about 30,000 children.
Gaza’s civil defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal called for urgent entry of mobile caravans as a temporary solution. He stressed that caravans cannot replace reconstruction, but they can prevent families from drowning, freezing, and falling ill as winter storms continue.
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