Gaza health officials report another baby has died from "severe cold"

Deir el-Balah, Gaza - Gaza health officials said that a 20-day-old baby died on Sunday from "severe cold" as the war-ravaged Palestinian territory grapples with winter weather amid the ongoing Israeli genocide.

A Palestinian man puts the shrouded body of newborn Jumaa al-Batran, who reportedly died due to hypothermia, next to the shrouded corpse of another child ahead of their funeral at the Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir el-Balah on December 29, 2024.
A Palestinian man puts the shrouded body of newborn Jumaa al-Batran, who reportedly died due to hypothermia, next to the shrouded corpse of another child ahead of their funeral at the Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir el-Balah on December 29, 2024.  © Eyad BABA / AFP

Jumaa al-Batran died from the cold, while his twin brother remains in the intensive care unit at a local hospital, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement.

Marwan al-Hamas, head of field hospitals in Gaza, confirmed the death. He said it brought to five the total number of children "who have died due to severe cold" in recent weeks.

"There is no electricity. The water is cold and there is no gas, heating or food," said Yahya al-Batran, the father of the child.

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"My children are dying in front of my eyes and nobody cares. Jumaa has died and I fear that his brother Ali may follow."

Yahya al-Batran said he and his wife were living in a tattered tent in the city of Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.

Hundreds of thousands of displaced people are crammed into unsuitable tents, most of which were hastily set up in Deir el-Balah and in the southern areas of Khan Younis and Rafah.

Since Israel's genocide began in October last year, Gaza's 2.4 million residents have endured severe shortages of electricity, drinkable water, food, and medical services. The vast majority of the territory's residents have been displaced at least once.

Gaza's death toll continues to climb with at least 45,514 people killed since October 2023, according to the territory's health ministry. The British medical journal Lancet and other experts believe the true number to be far greater, upwards of 186,000 as of last July.

Cover photo: Eyad BABA / AFP

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