The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has issued a dire warning, stating that children in Gaza are freezing to death as the blockade prevents essential winter supplies from reaching the war-torn enclave.
The Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, sounded the alarm on the deteriorating conditions in Gaza, saying that children in Gaza are freezing to death due to the cold weather and a severe lack of shelter.
“Gaza babies are freezing to death due to cold weather and a lack of shelter,” Lazzarini wrote in a post on X late Friday.
He criticized the blockade imposed by Israel, saying, “Blankets, mattresses, and other winter supplies have been stuck in the region for months waiting for approval to get into Gaza.”
Lazzarini also renewed his appeal for a ceasefire and called for the immediate delivery of basic supplies, including items critical for winter survival.
The crisis in Gaza has worsened, with the enclave reduced to rubble since Israel launched its military operations since Oct. 7, 2023.
On Thursday, Gaza Health Ministry Director-General Munir Al-Barsh reported that three Palestinian children died in makeshift displacement camps over the past week due to freezing conditions.
Meanwhile Israeli troops stormed one of the last hospitals operating in northern Gaza on Friday, forcing many staff and patients outside to strip in winter weather, the territory’s health ministry said. The army denied claims it had entered or set fire to the complex and accused Hamas of using the facility for cover.
Kamal Adwan Hospital has been hit multiple times over the past three months by Israeli troops waging an offensive against Hamas fighters in surrounding neighborhoods, according to staff. The ministry said a strike on the hospital a day earlier killed five
