Thousands of refugees in the strip are staying along the coastline and battling the cold, the sea and floods caused by the rain. There is no proper infrastructure here, not even food or water.
Outlook Web Desk
Updated on: 3 January 2025
Living without a mobile phone, this family has no pictures of little Sila — just a few of her clothes and memories from the last three weeks. Photo: Getty Images
Mahmood Faseeh tried to rouse his 20-day-old daughter Sila one cold morning unaware of the fact that the infant had slipped into slumber forever. "I tried to wake her up in the morning, but she was not alive. I rushed her to a hospital where the doctors declared her dead. They said she had passed away an hour ago due to the cold. We have neither proper clothing to protect us from the cold nor enough food and water. God knows our condition," the grieving father tells BBC.
Sila had been taken to Dr. Ahmad al-Farah, who explained that the baby had suffered from hypothermia that led to a severe condition. "She had a heart attack and ultimately died," he said.
He further said the previous day, two other cases had been reported — one involving a three-day-old baby and the other less than a month old. These deaths were attributed to living in tents under such harsh conditions.
Mahmood’s family has been displaced 10 times since Israeli aggression began in Gaza a year ago. Thousands of refugees in the strip are staying along the coastline and battling the cold, the sea and floods caused by the rain. There is no proper infrastructure here, not even food or water.
The United Nations has accused Israel of obstructing aid from reaching Gaza, a claim Israel has denied.
"Seeing her condition broke my heart. I did everything I could to keep her warm, but I could not save her," says Sila’s mother, Nariman al-Najmeh.
Living without a mobile phone, this family has no pictures of little Sila — just a few of her clothes and memories from the last three weeks.
"I never thought I would give birth to my child in this cold and in a tent with water leaking from the roof. We have had to move many times in an attempt to save our children," she said.
Last Sunday, another life was lost. A child who lived less than 20 days. Yahya al-Baatran was inconsoleable holding his son’s lifeless body outside a hospital.
Six children have died from the cold in the past week, claimed BBC, quoting Gaza health officials.
While Mahmood carried Sila’s lifeless body to a makeshift graveyard, Israeli drones flew overhead.
We are all sick; we are suffering from chest pain. We have colds because of the winter. If we survive in the ongoing war, the harsh winters will kill us," said Sila’s mother, with tears streaming down her face.
The greatest threat posed by this war is to the children.
The UN human rights organisation has expressed growing concerns over Israeli attacks on Gaza’s hospitals and called them war crimes and crimes against humanity. It has released a report, explaining how Israeli forces are besieging Gaza's hospitals and forcing evacuations - resulting in many deaths.
The United Nations also rejected Israel’s claim that Hamas is using hospitals. It has asserted that the blockades imposed by Israel have stopped vital aid from reaching Gaza. Israel dismissed this report and claimed it has allowed aid into Gaza to provide protection from the cold.
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