Chilling Struggles: Infants in Gaza Face Deadly Winter Cold

“I never imagined I would give birth while living in a tent, under such frigid and freezing circumstances, with water dripping on us. Water would infiltrate the tent, cascading down on us. At times, we had to flee to avoid the water – for the sake of the baby,” recounts Nariman.

Nonetheless, Sila was born without any issues.

“Her health was good, thank the heavens. Suddenly, she began to be impacted by the cold,” shares Nariman. “I realized she was sneezing and seemed to fall ill because of the cold, but I never anticipated she would succumb to it.”

Sila was admitted last Wednesday to Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, where Dr Ahmad al-Farra, the head of its pediatric department, stated she experienced “severe hypothermia, leading to the loss of vital signs, cardiac arrest, and ultimately death”.

“[On the day prior] as well, two cases were admitted: one was a three-day-old infant and the other was under a month old. Both cases presented with severe hypothermia, leading to death,” Dr Farra notes.

Newborns have an immature system for regulating their body temperature and can develop hypothermia easily in cold conditions. Premature infants are particularly at risk, and Dr Farra mentions that Gaza’s medical staff have observed a rise in the number of premature births during the conflict.

Mothers are also facing malnutrition, resulting in their inability to adequately breastfeed their infants. There is also a shortage of infant formula due to restricted humanitarian aid deliveries, according to Dr Farra.