Extreme cold kills another infant in Gaza as Israel blocks vital aid

Israel continues to block vital necessities, such as mobile homes, as the Palestinian enclave is hit by harsh weather conditions.Published On 10 Jan 2026A seven-day-old infant has died due to the extreme cold in the Gaza Strip as the Israeli blockade of vital necessities worsens the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.Medical sources told Al Jazeera on Saturday that Mahmoud Al-Aqraa died in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza amid rapidly decreasing temperatures.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Gaza babies ‘suffering from severe cold’ as Israel keeps blocking aidlist 2 of 4‘We just sit and cry’: Gaza’s cancer patients die waiting for treatmentlist 3 of 4Israeli attack across Gaza kill 14 Palestinians despite ‘ceasefire’list 4 of 4Israel ‘asphyxiating’ Palestinians for ‘apartheid system’ in West Bank: UNend of listPalestinians living in makeshift tents have little protection from the strong wind and rain, as most shelters are made of thin canvas and plastic sheeting.Israel continues to limit the number of tents and sustainable shelters entering Gaza, in violation of the ceasefire it agreed with Hamas in October. It has also blocked other vital necessities, such as mobile homes, as well as tools and materials to fix the damaged tents.Temperatures at night in Gaza have been falling to as low as nine degrees Celsius (48 degrees Fahrenheit) in recent days.In a statement, Gaza’s Civil Defence said on Friday that “every low-pressure system turns into a humanitarian disaster in light of the prevention of the entry of building materials and the disruption of reconstruction.”The organisation warned of a “catastrophe” due to the “low-pressure system that caused serious damage to temporary shelters, and thousands of tents were completely damaged”.The Civil Defence urged citizens to secure their tents to prevent them from being blown away, given that mobile homes are not allowed to enter.“What is happening is not a weather crisis, but a direct result of preventing the entry of building materials and disrupting reconstruction, as people are living in torn tents and cracked houses without safety or dignity,” Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal said.