Infant freezes to death in Gaza amid Israeli siege
A two-month-old baby has died in Gaza City from exposure to extreme cold, Al Mayadeen‘s correspondent reported, as the Israeli occupation tightens its blockade on the Gaza Strip, blocking the entry of vital humanitarian aid, including food, heating supplies, and weather protection.
The tragedy unfolds amid harsh winter storms battering the region, compounding the suffering of displaced families already grappling with hunger, disease, and constant bombardment. This latest incident marks another clear violation of the ceasefire agreement, as “Israel” continues to shell multiple areas of the Strip while denying life-saving aid.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned that children in Gaza are living through conditions no child should ever endure. Israeli restrictions continue to obstruct the entry of essential humanitarian assistance, leaving children without adequate shelter, food, or medical care. “Children should feel warmth, proper nutrition, and safety,” UNRWA stated. “In Gaza, they are deprived of all three.”
Displaced families are surviving winter in makeshift tents that flood in the rain and collapse under strong winds. Children sleep without blankets, queue for hours for a piece of bread, and suffer from untreated illnesses in overcrowded shelters with no clean water or heating.
Health teams report a sharp increase in acute malnutrition among infants and young children, directly linked to the collapse of basic services and the inconsistent entry of food supplies.
Aid blocked at borders
While UNRWA and other aid agencies continue to distribute limited supplies inside Gaza, they warn that scaling up operations is impossible without unrestricted access. Convoys are regularly delayed at military checkpoints, trucks are turned back without explanation, and critical supplies remain stuck just outside Gaza’s borders.
Winter has intensified the crisis. Heavy rains have flooded refugee camps, and families are resorting to burning scraps of wood for warmth. Doctors warn that the combination of exposure, hunger, and untreated illness is creating life-threatening conditions for children.
UNRWA is urgently calling for the full lifting of all restrictions on humanitarian aid, stressing that the suffering in Gaza is not due to a lack of supplies, but because they are deliberately being kept out. “The survival of Gaza’s children depends on whether the international community upholds its legal and moral obligations,” the agency said.
The agency emphasized that humanitarian access is not optional; it is a legal requirement under international law. Each day of delay is deepening an already catastrophic situation for Gaza’s most vulnerable: its children.
