Infant Freezes to Death in Gaza Amid Severe Israeli Aid Restrictions

A nine-month-old Palestinian infant, Kinan Ahmed Raqiq, has died from hypothermia in a tent sheltering his displaced family in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. The baby's father, Ahmed Raqiq, recounted the tragic event, stating he woke to find his son's skin turned blue and rushed him to Nasser Hospital, but it was too late. "I am in complete shock. I found myself holding my son wrapped in a burial shroud," he said, tears visible as he held his child wrapped in a white sheet.

Gaza’s Civil Defence spokesman, Mahmoud Basal, confirmed the infant's death due to extreme cold, according to Palestinian news network Al-Quds. This incident occurs as winter supplies face severe restrictions entering the war-ravaged territory.

The United Kingdom, Qatar, and Jordan, alongside over 50 other countries and organizations, have urged Israel to allow immediate entry of essential winter items, including shelter, fuel, water, sanitation, and health supplies. A joint statement highlighted that "far too many people in Gaza are still without adequate shelter, and risk exposure to hypothermia, respiratory infections, waterborne diseases and other preventable illnesses" as winter approaches.

This criticism echoes recent remarks from the United States-led Board of Peace and United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher regarding Israel's restrictions. Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by stating that Israel had permitted supplies such as 91,000 tents and placed blame on Hamas for the suffering in Gaza.

Heavy rains this week have also caused flooding in Gaza, impacting tens of thousands of tents and leading to the deaths of five people, including three children, when a sandy embankment collapsed onto their shelters. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that as of November 8, 26,000 households were affected by the storms. Approximately 65 percent of Gaza's population remains displaced, living in tents or temporary shelters.

James Elder, UNICEF's spokesman on Gaza, warned that the flooding is an early sign of the cold season, emphasizing the dire situation. "It’s very important to know how bad things are in Gaza. It’s not yet winter," Elder stated. "We’re weeks away from winter, so we are getting unprecedented rain and cold."