Palestinian babies die of cold weather exacerbated by Israeli siege

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Freezing temperatures have killed three Palestinian babies in the Gaza Strip amid an Israeli siege, according to officials and local media.

A three-week-old baby girl lost her life in a tent encampment in al-Mawasi in the southern city of Khan Younis on Wednesday, Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, the director general of Gaza’s Health Ministry, said on his X account.

Sela Mahmoud Al-Fasih “froze to death from the extreme cold,” he added.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said two other infants, aged three days and one month, have also died from cold temperatures and a lack of access to warm shelter.

The Israeli army has continued a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip that has killed nearly 45,400 people, mostly women and children, since October 7 last year despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

Tel Aviv has imposed a stifling blockade on Gaza, leaving the territory’s 2.3 million population on the verge of famine.

According to several human rights organizations, the actual death toll in Gaza far outstrips the official numbers by at least 4-5 times. This includes those gone missing, those dying of infectious diseases, starvation or harsh weather conditions. The actual death toll constitutes nearly 10 percent of the total population of ravaged Gaza.

Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.