Israel’s restrictions killing more Palestinian infants in Gaza

A two-month-old Palestinian child has died due to extreme cold in the Israeli-besieged Gaza Strip, as displaced families continue to endure harsh winter conditions compounded by the ongoing impacts of the Israeli genocidal war.

Zaher al-Wahidi, director of health information at the Ministry of Health, said on Sunday that the baby named Mohammed Abu Harbid died from severe hypothermia at al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital.

Abu Harbid has become the latest victim of Israel’s genocidal war that has stripped Palestinians of shelter, warmth and survival.

His death brings the number of children who have frozen to death in the blockaded Palestinian territory since November 2025 to four, and 12 since the start of the genocidal war in October 2023.

As severe depression brings torrential rain and freezing winds to the besieged coastal region, thousands of displaced families are facing a catastrophic humanitarian emergency, with the most vulnerable paying the highest price.

Meanwhile, at al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp, a newly opened neonatal ward is fighting a losing battle to keep premature babies alive.

The ward, established in early 2026 to meet soaring demand, receives about 17 infants daily.

But Ahmed Abu Shaira, a medical staff member, told media outlets that they were operating with one hand tied behind their back.

“We face many dilemmas, including a scarcity of medical equipment,” Abu Shaira said. “Some incubators come to us without batteries … the occupation forces the entry of incubators without batteries.”

“We try to reach a certain temperature for the child, but every time we do, the power cuts,” Abu Shaira explained.

Without the internal batteries that Israeli restrictions have banned, the incubators go cold the instant the generator fails.

Compounding the crisis is a lack of medication to help premature lungs develop and a severe shortage of baby formula.

“We are now receiving babies born before 37 weeks … due to early labour caused by the mothers’ poor health,” Abu Shaira added. “These babies are prone to hypothermia … which can lead to death.”

Health authorities have cautioned that more children, elderly individuals, and patients might succumb to the cold inside rain-soaked tents.

In addition, the continued restriction imposed by Israel on the entry of baby formula and medical aid into the besieged Gaza Strip is causing the slow death of infants in the war-torn Palestinian territory.

The Israeli military has killed more than 71,000 Palestinians, the majority being women and children, and wounded over 171,000 other individuals in Gaza since October 2023.

Despite a ceasefire that came into effect on October 10, 2025, Israel has not adhered to the agreement, restricting the entry of the stipulated amounts of aid trucks. This has exacerbated what the Health Ministry has labelled a dire and persistent health crisis amid a medicine shortage.

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