A three-week-old baby girl has died from freezing temperatures in Gaza as Israel and Hamas continue to trade blame over delays in ceasefire negotiations aimed at ending the 14-month war.
The baby, named Sila, was the third infant to die from the cold in Gaza’s tent camps in recent days, according to local doctors.
These deaths highlight the dire conditions in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have sought shelter in makeshift tents after fleeing Israeli military actions.
The ongoing Israeli bombardment and ground invasion have claimed the lives of over 45,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, as reported by Gaza’s health ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its tally.
The conflict has caused widespread destruction and displaced nearly 90% of Gaza’s population, approximately 2.3 million people, many of whom have been relocated multiple times.
As winter sets in, the displaced are crowded into temporary camps along Gaza’s coastline, facing cold, wet conditions. Humanitarian organizations report severe shortages of food, blankets, warm clothing, and firewood, complicating efforts to provide relief.
While Israel has increased the amount of aid allowed into Gaza to 130 trucks per day in December, up from 70 trucks in October and November, the volume remains insufficient. The United Nations says it cannot distribute over half of the aid due to obstacles, including restrictions on movement by Israeli forces and rampant theft from trucks.
Mahmoud al-Faseeh, the father of Sila, told the Associated Press that he had tried to keep his daughter warm by wrapping her in a blanket in their tent in Muwasi, located near Khan Younis. However, the cold was overwhelming. He described the tent as being exposed to wind, with a cold, unsealed floor, as temperatures dropped to 9°C (48°F) on Tuesday night.
“It was very cold overnight, and even we adults couldn’t stay warm,” al-Faseeh said. Sila woke up crying three times during the night, but by morning, she was unresponsive, her body stiff with cold. “She was like wood,” her father recalled. Despite efforts to revive her at a nearby field hospital, Sila’s condition was too severe. Doctors found her lungs had already deteriorated.
Dr. Ahmed al-Farra, the director of the children’s ward at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, confirmed that Sila had died from hypothermia. He added that two other infants—one three days old and another a month old—had been brought to the hospital in the past 48 hours, both also victims of the cold.
Meanwhile, hopes for a ceasefire appeared increasingly uncertain on Wednesday, as Israel and Hamas accused each other of complicating negotiations. Recent discussions had hinted at a deal to bring home dozens of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, but significant obstacles remain.
Israel and Hamas have expressed cautious optimism about progress in the talks, but there are still disagreements over key issues, including the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
On Wednesday, Hamas accused Israel of introducing new conditions, including the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the release of prisoners, and the return of displaced people. This, Hamas said, was delaying the agreement. In turn, Israel accused Hamas of backtracking on previously reached understandings. Despite these tensions, both sides have emphasized that talks are ongoing.
Israel’s negotiating team, which includes members from intelligence agencies and the military, returned from Qatar on Tuesday after a week of what it called “significant negotiations.”
Hamas and other groups took about 250 hostages during their attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. A truce in November 2023 led to the release of over 100 hostages, and others have been rescued or their remains recovered since then.
Israel states that about 100 hostages remain in Gaza, with at least a third believed to have been killed in the October 7 attack or died while in captivity.
While sporadic talks have been ongoing for a year, recent weeks have seen renewed efforts to reach a deal.
Related Topics:
