Infant death and worsening shelter conditions in Gaza during extreme cold

Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
2h ago
A seven-day-old infant died from extreme cold in central Gaza as Palestinians in makeshift tents faced strong wind, rain, and shortages of shelter materials under Israeli restrictions on aid and building supplies.
Infant death and worsening shelter conditions in Gaza during extreme cold
A What happened
Medical sources said seven-day-old Mahmoud Al-Aqraa died in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza due to extreme cold as temperatures dropped. Palestinians living in makeshift tents had little protection from strong wind and rain, and Gaza’s Civil Defence said low-pressure systems were turning into humanitarian disasters because building materials were prevented from entering and reconstruction was disrupted. Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal said people were living in torn tents and cracked houses, and some were forced to set up tents on the beach because of lack of space inside cities due to extensive Israeli destruction. Amjad Shawa of the Palestinian NGO Network in Gaza said about 1.5 million of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents had lost their homes, and only 60,000 tents had been received out of more than 300,000 requested, citing Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid delivery.

Key insights

  • 1

    Civil Defence links weather impacts to blocked reconstruction materials: Gaza’s Civil Defence said low-pressure systems were turning into humanitarian disasters because building materials were prevented from entering and reconstruction was disrupted.

  • 2

    Repeated displacement tied to inability to repair tents: Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary said families lacked materials to fix destroyed tents, forcing them to move repeatedly to find somewhere else to stay.

  • 3

    Shelter shortfall quantified by Palestinian NGO Network director: Amjad Shawa said only 60,000 tents had been received out of more than 300,000 requested, and about 1.5 million residents had lost their homes.

Takeaways

Extreme cold, damaged shelters, and restricted entry of tents and building materials coincided with deaths and continued displacement in Gaza.

Topics

World & Politics Conflicts Human Rights Migration Law & Public Safety Public Safety

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