Infant Dies of Cold in Gaza Tent Amid Growing Winter Concerns

A nine-month-old infant died from cold exposure in a tent sheltering his displaced family in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources reported on Thursday. The child, Kenan Ahmed Riq, died due to hypothermia, according to a Palestinian doctor who examined the body and requested anonymity. Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense in Gaza, confirmed the infant's death, stating he suffered from "bitter cold." The child's father, Ahmed Riq, described waking up to find his son's skin blue and rushing him to Nasser Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He expressed shock, holding his son wrapped in a shroud.

Heavy rains last week swept away thousands of displaced families' tents, causing five deaths, including three children, when a sand cliff collapsed. Hundreds of families have since fled flooded camps in Gaza City, the north, and the central areas. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder noted on Tuesday that winter is approaching with unprecedented rain and cold, warning that families already exhausted by war are facing a fourth winter in fragile conditions. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 26,000 families were affected by floods by November 8, with approximately 65% of Gaza's population still living in tents or temporary shelters.

The Peace Council, established by former US President Donald Trump, criticized Israel for not taking sufficient immediate action to help the war-torn Gaza Strip prepare for winter and floods, declaring it an "urgent humanitarian emergency." The council had previously alerted Israel, which controls access to Gaza, to the need for winter preparedness.

Outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Wednesday that Israel had permitted the entry of 91,000 tents, shifting responsibility for the suffering of Gazans onto Hamas. This incident is not isolated; in December 2024, infant Sila Mahmoud Al-Fasih and a 20-day-old infant, Aisha Al-Qassas, also died from cold in their tents. UNRWA confirmed in late December that six infants had died from cold in recent days, with more at risk due to lack of shelter and winter necessities. In January of the current year, the UN reported that 11 children in Gaza had died from cold since the start of winter in late 2025.