Gaza children freezing to death amid Israeli blockade, warns UNRWA chief

ISTANBUL

The commissioner-general of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has warned 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," Philippe Lazzarini wrote in a post on X late Friday.

"Blankets, mattresses, and other winter supplies have been stuck in the region for months waiting for approval to get into Gaza," he said, referring to Israel's inhumane blockade of the coastal enclave, which launched a genocidal war in the first week of October last year.

The UN official reiterated his call for an immediate cease-fire, urging “an immediate flow of much-needed basic supplies, including for winter.”

On Thursday, Gaza’s Health Ministry Director-General Munir Al-Barsh told Anadolu that three Palestinian children died in makeshift displacement camps over the past week due to freezing temperatures.

Two-week-old Sila Mahmoud Al-Faseeh died from exposure to cold in a displacement camp in Al-Mawasi, Khan Younis, on Wednesday. She was the second infant to die in the same camp, following the death of Aisha Adnan Al-Qassas on Dec. 20.

Israel has killed more than 45,400 people in Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border attack by Hamas, reducing the enclave to rubble.

Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi