Three babies die of hypothermia in Gaza's tents in 48 hours

Three-week-old Sila is latest newborn to die due to harsh winter conditions

Sila, who lost her life due to cold weather, is brought to Al Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza. Getty Images

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A three-week-old girl named Sila died of hypothermia in a camp in Al Mawasi near Khan Younis in Gaza on Wednesday. Sila was the third baby to die due to the cold weather in tent camps, doctors in the besieged enclave said, highlighting the harsh winter conditions Gazans are facing without blankets, electricity, food and medicine.

Sila’s father, Mahmoud Al Faseeh, said he wrapped her in a blanket to try to keep her warm in their tent but he was unable to save her, the Associated Press reported.

He said the tent was not sealed from the wind and the ground was cold, as temperatures on Tuesday night dropped to 9°C. “It was very cold overnight and as adults we couldn’t even take it. We couldn’t stay warm,” Mr Al Faseeh said.

People inspect the site of Israeli attacks on tents in Khan Younis, a site where Palestinians displaced from Beit Lahia sought shelter. AFP

Sila woke up crying three times overnight and in the morning her parents found her unresponsive, and her body stiff. “She was like wood,” said Mr Al Faseeh. They rushed her to a field hospital where doctors tried to revive her, but her lungs had already collapsed.

Ahmed Al Farra, director of the children’s ward at Al Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, confirmed that the baby died of hypothermia. He said two other babies – one three days old, the other a month old – had been brought to the hospital over the past 48 hours after dying of hypothermia.

Aid groups raised the alarm in November, calling winter in Gaza a “ticking time bomb,” as rain and flooding had washed out temporary shelters.

About 90 per cent of the population has been displaced during the 14-month war. Hundreds of thousands of displaced people are living in harrowing conditions, after fleeing the Israeli military's relentless bombardment.

More than 45,300 people, the majority women and children, have been killed in Gaza where Israel has been accused of committing a genocide, and systematically blocking aid to the besieged population, according to several international agencies.

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