5 newborns freeze to death in Gaza as Israel continues to block entry of caravans

Five newborn babies froze to death in the Gaza Strip as Israel continues to block the entry of waterproof shelters into the enclave, a Palestinian doctor said today.

“Nine infants were hospitalised in the past two weeks due to health complications caused by severe cold,” Saeed Salah, director of the Patient’s Friends Benevolent Society Hospital in Gaza, told Anadolu.

“Of the nine cases, five babies aged between one day and two weeks died,” he added.

Salah said one baby is still on a ventilator due to his serious health condition, while three others were discharged from hospital.

He said the nine babies were transferred to the hospital from northern Gaza, where most of the population has been displaced and are living in tents following Israel’s destructive war on the enclave.

Salah appealed to the international community to intervene to allow the entry of mobile homes, tents and fuel into Gaza to provide shelter to thousands of Palestinians.

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas blamed Israel’s “criminal policies” for the deaths.

In a statement, the group called for immediate intervention “to stop Israel’s violations of the ceasefire agreement and allow the entry of urgent shelter, heating and medical supplies into Gaza.”

According to Gaza’s government media office, nearly 1.5 million Palestinians have been left without home or shelter after Israel’s genocidal war.

READ: Nearly 1,100 Palestinian babies killed in Israeli war on Gaza, authorities say