A newborn froze to death in a tent camp in Al-Mawasi, southern Gaza, on Wednesday, highlighting the severe survival challenges faced by Palestinian children displaced from their homes amidst the ongoing Israeli assault on the strip.
Sela Mahmoud Al-Fasih “froze to death due to extreme cold” in Al-Mawasi, announced Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, director general of the Gaza Ministry of Health, on Twitter Wednesday.
Over the past 48 hours, Al-Fasih and at least three other infants – a three-day-old and a one-month-old – died from low temperatures and the lack of warm shelter, said Dr. Ahmed Al-Farra, head of pediatrics and obstetrics at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
Al-Mawasi, a coastal area west of Rafah previously designated by Israel as a “humanitarian zone,” has repeatedly been subjected to Israeli strikes. Thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge there, living for months in makeshift tents made of fabric and nylon.
Footage from a courtyard in Al-Mawasi shows Al-Fasih’s small body wrapped in a white shroud, held by her 31-year-old father Mahmoud. In another scene, a group of young Palestinian men and boys crouches by her grave.
“Sela died from the cold. I tried to keep her warm, holding her. But we didn’t have extra clothes to keep this baby girl warm,” her mother, Nariman, said on Wednesday.
Human rights advocates have warned that Palestinian children bear the heaviest burden of Israel’s bombing campaign and blockade.
More than 17.600 children have been killed since the start of the war, said Dr. Al-Bursh on Wednesday. One child dies every hour in Gaza, according to United Nations (UN) data cited Tuesday by Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
As many as 17.000 children have been left unaccompanied or separated from their parents and guardians, reported the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in October. Others struggle to find adequate food, water, and warmth as Israel’s blockade depletes resources.
Doctors say children cannot receive proper care in a healthcare system paralyzed by Israeli attacks. Only 20 percent of neonatal care units in the Gaza Strip remain operational, according to Dr. Al-Farra. Premature babies are dying due to a lack of medical supplies, including ventilators, while doctors are forced to triage cases to save lives, he added.
The UN’s children’s agency, UNICEF, has warned that many displaced children in Gaza are left with little more than the clothes on their backs – many having fled Israeli bombardment earlier this year in summer attire.
“For over 14 months, children have been on the razor’s edge of this nightmare. In Gaza, the reality for more than a million children is fear, utter deprivation, and unimaginable suffering. The war against children in Gaza is a stark reminder of our collective responsibility. A generation of children is enduring brutal violations of their rights and the destruction of their future,” said Rosalia Bollen, UNICEF’s communications specialist, in a statement on December 20th, Klix.ba writes.
Photo: archive
