GAZA CITY, Palestine / ISTANBUL

Another Palestinian baby lost his life in the Gaza Strip due to severe cold amid a widespread scarcity of shelters, the Health Ministry said on Monday.

A ministry statement said two-month-old Arkan Firas Musleh died as a result of harsh weather conditions, bringing the death toll of toddlers from cold to three since early December.

According to the Gaza Civil Defense, 25 people, including six children, have died from cold and the collapse of damaged buildings in Gaza amid freezing weather conditions in the war-torn enclave.

Spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said that 18 buildings that had been damaged in previous Israeli strikes had fully collapsed, and more than 110 others recorded partial collapse in the current low-pressure weather system, threatening the lives of thousands of displaced people sheltering in these buildings.

The spokesman added that 90% of tents sheltering displaced civilians were uprooted or flooded in heavy rains and strong winds across Gaza, with thousands of families left without any shelters or any clothes that could have protected them from the harsh weather.

He called for urgently starting the reconstruction of Gaza and providing mobile homes that would protect the lives and dignity of Palestinians.

The Israeli army has killed more than 71,200 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,200 others since October 2023 in Gaza in a brutal assault that also left the enclave in ruins.

Despite a ceasefire that took effect in Gaza on Oct. 10, Israel still closes the territory’s crossings and prevents the entry of mobile homes and reconstruction materials, worsening the plight of nearly 2.4 million people in the enclave.