Doctors Without Borders: Gaza children are dying of cold

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported that children in the Gaza Strip are dying from the cold and called on Israel to allow increased humanitarian aid deliveries to enable Palestinians to cope with the harsh winter conditions.

In a statement, the organization said that a 29-day-old infant died at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, just two hours after arriving at the pediatric ward supported by MSF. “Despite all treatment efforts, the child could not be saved,” the statement continued, “as he died from severe hypothermia.”

MSF warned that “the harsh winter weather, coupled with already dire living conditions, is exacerbating health risks.” The organization noted that its teams “continue to record high rates of respiratory infections, and these cases are expected to increase throughout the winter, posing a serious threat to children under five.”

Regarding the storm, the organization stated, “As Gaza is experiencing heavy rains and severe storms, the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in makeshift, dilapidated tents that are flooded continues.” It also called on the occupying authorities to immediately allow the intensification of aid deliveries to Gaza on a large scale.