An eight-month-old Palestinian baby died today from the bitter cold in the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, amid worsening winter conditions facing families displaced after two years of war.
The baby, identified as Rahaf Abu Jazar, died as temperatures dropped sharply in the area while families are taking shelter in makeshift tents.
Confirming the death, the head of the Gaza Health Ministry, Munir al-Bursh, warned that more children, the elderly and the sick could lose their lives to the cold.
"Low temperatures are devastating children, the elderly and the sick," he said, describing cases of severe shivering, loss of body temperature, worsening breathing and the risk of death.
He said that the humidity and stagnant water inside the tents create an environment for pneumonia and respiratory infections while the sick are unable to find medicine or medical care.
The Gaza Civil Defense said that entire camps have been flooded by rainwater, including areas in Al-Mawasi in Khan Younis, Al-Bassa and Al-Baraka in Deir al-Balah, the Central Market area in Nuseirat, as well as the Yarmouk and Al-Mina neighborhoods.
According to previous data, Gaza needs 300 tents and housing units to meet the most basic housing needs, after Israel destroyed infrastructure during the two years of war.
The UN estimates that the cost of rebuilding Gaza is around $70 billion. /AA
