UNRWA: Gaza Children Can Die Due To Coolness

A Palestinian boy holding a doll can be seen among the rubble of a building destroyed by an Israeli attack on Gaza.(ANTARA/Anadolu/py)

THE UN Agency's Commissioner-General for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) warned that children in Gaza face the risk of death from cold weather due to the absence of adequate housing.

"Gaza babies can die of cold weather and lack of shelter," Philippe Lazzarini said on platform X on Friday night.

He added that winter supplies such as blankets and mattresses have been stuck for months, awaiting Israel's approval to enter Gaza. The Palestinian enclave was inhumanely blockaded by Israel, which has waged a genocide war since the first week of October 2023.

The UN official again called for an immediate and urgent ceasefire so that basic needs during winter are allowed. Three Palestinian children died in temporary refugee camps in the past week due to cold, Gaza's Ministry of Health, Munir Al-Barsh, said on Thursday.

A two-week-old baby, Sila Mahmoud Al-Faseeh, died of cold weather in a refugee camp in Al-Mawasi, Khan Younis, on Wednesday. He became the second baby to die in the same camp after Aisha Adnan Al-Qassas on December 20.

Israel's aggression in Gaza has killed more than 45,400 Palestinians and destroyed the region since October 7, 2023.

Last month, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant. They are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel is also facing a genocide lawsuit at the International Court over its actions in the war in the Palestinian enclave.