Eight-month-old dies in Gaza’s freezing winter

(MENAFN) An eight-month-old Palestinian child lost their life on Thursday in Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza, due to extreme cold, amid worsening winter conditions affecting families displaced by a devastating two-year conflict.

The infant, named Rahaf Abu Jazar, succumbed as temperatures in the region fell sharply, with children and families forced to take shelter in fragile, makeshift tents.

Munir al-Bursh, head of Gaza’s Health Ministry, confirmed the death and cautioned that many more children, elderly individuals, and patients remain at risk of dying from the cold inside the rain-soaked shelters.

“Low temperatures are ravaging children, the elderly and the sick,” he told Anadolu, describing cases of severe shivering, loss of body heat, respiratory deterioration and possible death.

He further noted that humidity and standing water inside tents create “a perfect environment” for pneumonia and respiratory infections, while affected patients are unable to access medicine or medical care.

Reports indicate that entire displacement camps have been submerged in rainwater, including areas such as al-Mawasi in Khan Younis, al-Bassa and al-Baraka in Deir al-Balah, the Central Market area of Nuseirat, and the Yarmouk and Port (al-Mina) districts.

“Displaced citizens, with their children and women, are drowning now,” the Civil Defense reported, describing the “tragic” scenes unfolding in the camps, and noting that heavy rainfall has destroyed tents despite repeated humanitarian pleas for urgent help.

Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for the Civil Defense, told Anadolu that the agency had received over 2,500 emergency calls in the last 24 hours from families whose tents had been flooded during the storm.
Hundreds of tents housing displaced Palestinians were inundated for a second day in a row after overnight rainfall caused by a new winter storm. The Civil Defense also evacuated dozens of tents in Rafah, in the south, after they were entirely submerged.

Basal warned that more than 250,000 families in displacement camps throughout Gaza remain vulnerable to cold weather and floodwaters in their deteriorating shelters.

Earlier reports had warned that a polar low-pressure system would impact the area from Wednesday through Friday evening, putting hundreds of thousands of displaced families at risk.

Since Wednesday, thousands of tents sheltering survivors of the recent conflict have been flooded, soaking bedding, clothing, and food supplies, leaving families exposed to freezing temperatures without adequate warmth or protection.

Estimates suggest that Gaza requires roughly 300,000 tents and prefabricated housing units to meet the basic shelter needs of Palestinians following widespread destruction of infrastructure over two years of conflict. Reconstruction costs are projected at approximately $70 billion.

The conflict has resulted in the deaths of over 70,000 Palestinians and injuries to more than 171,000 since October 2023, according to reports. A ceasefire agreement that took effect two months ago temporarily halted the assault.

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