27-day-old baby becomes eighth to die of hypothermia in Gaza this winter

A 27-day-old baby died in Gaza on Saturday from severe cold, bringing the number of children in the region who have died of hypothermia since the start of the current winter season to eight, according to the Palestinian health ministry.Medical sources confirmed to the news agency Anadolu that the newborn, named Aisha Ayesh al-Agha, died as a result of freezing temperatures, and that when she was brought to Nasser hospital in Khan Younis it was already too late to save her.No further details were revealed about the infant’s condition prior to her death.Two recent reports by Physicians for Human Rights, in collaboration with the Global Human Rights Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI), document how the war has led to high figures for maternal and neonatal mortality.The document reports “2,600 miscarriages, 220 pregnancy-related deaths, 1,460 premature births, over 1,700 underweight newborns and over 2,500 infants requiring neonatal intensive care” between January and June 2025.Mothers in Gaza are forced into unthinkable choices, routinely compromising their own health and survival to meet their children’s most basic needs. With maternal and newborn care dismantled by fuel shortages, blocked medical supplies, mass displacement and relentless bombardment, relocating to overcrowded tent encampments has become the only remaining option.In the first months of 2025 there were 17,000 recorded births, a 41% drop from the same period in 2022.Life in Gaza remains precarious. A Unicef spokesperson, James Elder, said more than 100 children had been killed in the territory since the ceasefire came into force in October.While airstrikes and gunfire have slowed, they have not ceased. Recent storms have compounded the crisis, causing deaths and flooding in displacement camps already stretched beyond their limits.Strong winter winds caused walls to collapse on to flimsy tents for displaced Palestinians on Tuesday, killing at least four people. The Gaza health ministry said on Tuesday that another baby, aged one, died of hypothermia overnight.At least 464 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 1,280 others injured in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire, according to the health ministry.