Gaza infant dies of hypothermia as winter storm exacerbates humanitarian crisis
By bellecarter // 2025-12-17
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  • A two-week-old Palestinian baby, Mohammed Khalil Abu al-Khair, died from exposure due to freezing temperatures and torrential rains in Gaza, exacerbated by Israel's blockade restricting winter supplies. At least 13 children have perished under similar conditions.
  • Gaza's healthcare system is collapsing, with hospitals frequently bombed, under-resourced and unable to provide basic care. The UN describes the situation as an "unfolding humanitarian catastrophe."
  • Storm Byron has destroyed flimsy tents and damaged buildings, leaving nearly two million Gazans—half of them children—without shelter. Israel continues blocking essential aid like winter clothing, blankets and fuel.
  • Despite the humanitarian crisis, Israeli airstrikes persist, demolishing homes and hampering rescue efforts. Rescuers dig through rubble by hand due to Israel’s blockade on heavy equipment.
  • Gaza's infrastructure has been crippled since 2007, with Israel restricting food, medicine and construction materials. The blockade prevents rebuilding, trapping Palestinians in a cycle of destruction, deprivation and now deadly winter conditions.
A two-week-old Palestinian infant, Mohammed Khalil Abu al-Khair, died of hypothermia on Monday, Dec. 15, as freezing temperatures and torrential rains ravaged Gaza, already devastated by Israel's ongoing military siege and bombardment. The newborn is one of at least 13 children who have perished in recent days due to exposure, collapsing shelters and Israel's blockade restricting essential winter supplies. The Gaza Health Ministry confirmed the infant's death after his family rushed him to an intensive care unit, where medical staff struggled to stabilize his plummeting body temperature. With Gaza's hospitals overwhelmed, under-resourced and frequently targeted by Israeli airstrikes, even basic medical care has become a luxury for Palestinians enduring what the United Nations describes as an "unfolding humanitarian catastrophe."

"Freezing to death" under Israeli restrictions

The UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) issued a dire warning that Palestinians are "freezing to death" as Storm Byron batters the coastal enclave. Tents—already flimsy and waterlogged—are being ripped apart by winds, while damaged buildings collapse under the weight of heavy rains. "Aid must be allowed in at scale, without delay, to prevent putting more displaced families at serious risk," UNRWA stated on X (formerly Twitter). However, Israel continues to restrict the entry of winter clothing, blankets and shelter materials, leaving nearly two million Gazans—half of them children—without protection from the elements. Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesman for Gaza's Civil Defence, described the crisis as "beyond catastrophic." Thousands of families, he said, are stranded in flooded tents or exposed to open skies, with rescue efforts hampered by Israel's blockade on fuel and heavy equipment. "Expected strong winds and heavy rains threaten fragile tents and damaged buildings with collapse at any moment," Bassal warned. Videos circulating online show families desperately clutching collapsing tents, while others wade through knee-deep water inside makeshift shelters.

Aid blocked, buildings collapse and bombs fall

Even as Palestinians struggle to survive the storm, Israeli airstrikes continue to pound Gaza. Warplanes struck eastern Rafah and Khan Younis overnight, demolishing residential buildings and compounding the suffering of displaced families. Meanwhile, Civil Defence teams—working alongside the International Committee of the Red Cross—resumed search operations for bodies buried beneath the rubble of previous Israeli attacks. Yet without bulldozers or excavators—barred by Israeli restrictions—recovery efforts remain agonizingly slow. "We are digging with our hands," one rescuer told reporters.

A long history of suffering under siege

Gaza's current crisis is not an anomaly but the latest chapter in a 17-year blockade that has crippled the territory's infrastructure and economy. BrightU.AI's Enoch notes that since 2007, Israel has enforced strict limits on food, medicine, fuel and construction materials, creating what human rights groups call an "open-air prison." The blockade has also prevented Gaza from rebuilding after each military assault, leaving its population trapped in a cycle of destruction and deprivation. Now, with winter storms exposing the fragility of makeshift shelters, Palestinians face a new kind of horror—freezing to death in the ruins of their own homes. As international aid agencies plead for immediate intervention, Israel shows no signs of loosening its stranglehold on Gaza. The deaths of infants like Mohammed Khalil Abu al-Khair underscore the human cost of political inaction—and the urgent need for the world to demand an end to the siege before more lives are lost to cold, hunger, or bombs. For now, Gaza's survivors cling to whatever shelter remains, bracing for the next storm—both meteorological and military. Watch the video below that talks about the Israel-backed aid system that killed Gazans seeking food. This video is from Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

MiddleEastEye.net X.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com
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