CrossFireArabia
A two-month-old infant has died in Gaza City from exposure to extreme cold, Al Mayadeen reported on Sunday, as the Israeli occupation continues to tighten its blockade on the Gaza Strip, preventing the entry of essential humanitarian supplies, including food, heating materials, and weather protection.
According to Palestinian sources, the infant was identified as Muhammad Wissam Abu Harbid. His death occurred just hours after another infant, Mahmoud al-Aqra, also died from exposure to extreme cold in Gaza, underscoring the growing toll of winter conditions on the Strip’s most vulnerable residents.
The deaths come as severe winter storms sweep across the region, further deteriorating conditions for displaced families already facing acute shortages of food, medical care, and adequate shelter.
The incident is the latest in a series of ceasefire violations, as Israeli forces continue shelling multiple areas of the Strip while maintaining restrictions that block life-saving aid.
Aid Blocked at Borders
While UNRWA and other humanitarian agencies continue distributing what limited aid is available inside Gaza, they say meaningful expansion of operations remains impossible without unrestricted access.
Aid convoys are frequently delayed at military checkpoints, trucks are turned back without explanation, and critical supplies remain stranded outside Gaza’s borders.
Winter conditions have further intensified the crisis. Heavy rainfall has flooded displacement camps, forcing families to burn scraps of wood for warmth. Doctors warn that the combined effects of cold exposure, hunger, and untreated illness are creating life-threatening conditions, particularly for children.
UNRWA has renewed calls for the complete lifting of restrictions on humanitarian aid, stressing that the crisis in Gaza is not caused by a lack of supplies, but by their deliberate obstruction. “The survival of Gaza’s children depends on whether the international community upholds its legal and moral obligations,” the agency said.
The agency emphasized that humanitarian access is a legal obligation under international law, not a matter of choice, warning that each day of delay deepens an already catastrophic situation for Gaza’s most vulnerable residents.
