{"id":312232,"date":"2026-01-19T12:01:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T12:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=312232"},"modified":"2026-01-18T07:41:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T07:41:55","slug":"freezing-to-death-in-gaza-how-cold-is-killing-displaced-babies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2026\/01\/freezing-to-death-in-gaza-how-cold-is-killing-displaced-babies\/","title":{"rendered":"Freezing to Death in Gaza: How Cold Is Killing Displaced Babies"},"content":{"rendered":"
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One-year-old Palestinian infant Mohammed Besyuni died as a result of severe cold weather in Deir al Balah, Gaza on 3 Jan 2026. The baby’s body was brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital for funeral procedures as his family members mourn his death. (Photo by Stringer\/Anadolu via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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At least seven infants have died this winter in Gaza. Displaced babies freeze in soaked tents as Israel\u2019s blockade blocks essential aid. This is how Israel is freezing Gaza\u2019s babies to death.<\/em><\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n
16 Jan 2026\u00a0<\/em>– In Gaza, cold is no longer a passing discomfort or a seasonal hardship. It has become a lethal condition, one that creeps into tents, settles into the bones of displaced families, and silently claims the lives of infants who never stood a chance to protect themselves.At least seven infants have died from cold exposure in Gaza this winter, according to the Ministry of Health, as thousands of displaced families remain trapped in tents without heating, insulation, or adequate food. Doctors warn the true number may be higher.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started collecting strips of fabric and pieces of cloth until I managed to turn them into curtains. That\u2019s how the tent was made.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Doctors, parents, and authorities confirm that these deaths are not caused by rare illnesses or unavoidable medical complications, but by displacement, poverty, hunger, and life in makeshift shelters that offer no meaningful protection from wind, rain, or freezing temperatures.<\/p>\n

At the center of this tragedy is Ahmad Tottah, a father who lost two children, each in a different year, to cold. His testimony, alongside statements from Gaza\u2019s Ministry of Health and neonatal specialists at Nasser Hospital, paints a devastating picture of how survival itself has become fragile for the youngest and weakest.<\/p>\n

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Gaza genocide: Babies freezing to death with Hypothermia. Jan 2026<\/p><\/div>\n

A Life of Repeated Displacement<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Speaking to Quds News Network (QNN), Ahmad Tottah described how his family\u2019s descent into vulnerability began long before his children died.<\/p>\n

After nine months of Israel\u2019s genocidal war, Ahmad was forcibly displaced from Northern Gaza to the south. His journey followed a familiar pattern for thousands of families: first to Rafah, then to the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, near the sea.<\/p>\n

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At the beginning, there was no tent.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a week, I lived under three pieces of wood and plastic,\u201d Ahmad said. \u201cI started collecting strips of fabric and pieces of cloth until I managed to turn them into curtains. That\u2019s how the tent was made.\u201d<\/p>\n

That fragile shelter, stitched together from scraps, became home for more than a year.<\/p>\n

When a second wave of forced displacement began, Ahmad fled again, this time with his wife, his son Ibrahim, and his infant daughter Misk, the twin sister of Mohammad, a baby boy who had already died from hypothermia.<\/p>\n

The family spent a month on the Gaza seashore, where humidity soaked through the fabric of their tent and cold winds blew directly from the sea. Later, they moved again to Khan Younis, carrying little more than their children and what remained of their shelter.<\/p>\n

The Loss of Mohammad<\/strong><\/h2>\n

On September 29, 2024, Ahmad\u2019s son Mohammad died. He was just two months old. Ahmad said doctors informed him that the cause of death was cold exposure. At the time, the family was living in a tent made entirely of curtains in al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, with no insulation, no heating, and no protection from the elements.<\/p>\n

Before his death, Mohammad had been vomiting and suffering from diarrhea. Ahmad took him to Nasser Hospital, where the baby remained for three days. Despite medical care, Mohammad did not survive.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was so small,\u201d Ahmad said. \u201cAnd the cold never left us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The family continued to live in the same conditions. There was nowhere else to go.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe Died in My Arms\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One year later, Ahmad faced the same loss again, this time with his daughter Reda. She was two months old when she died during an intense cold spell that swept across Gaza. Ahmad said there were no warning signs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was nothing wrong with her,\u201d he said. \u201cHer feeding was normal. Her crying was normal. Everything was normal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reda died from cardiac and respiratory arrest.<\/p>\n

\u201cLosing one child is unbearable… Losing two, each in a different year, is something I can\u2019t explain.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That night, Ahmad held her close, fully aware that she had already passed. The thin curtains of their tent did nothing to keep out the cold, and the damp coastal air pressed in around them.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe slept in my arms all night,\u201d he said. \u201cShe was already gone, but I didn\u2019t want to let her go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI never expected to face a situation where my daughter would die in my arms, and I could do absolutely nothing,\u201d he said. \u201cI just held her, feeling a piece of myself die with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLosing one child is unbearable,\u201d Ahmad added. \u201cLosing two, each in a different year, is something I can\u2019t explain. Imagine carrying two babies, and then, two months later, carrying only one.\u201d<\/p>\n

His testimony ended with a plea, not for comfort or luxury, but for basic humanity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just want to live like any family in the world,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re not asking for anything special. We just want to live.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inside Gaza\u2019s Neonatal Units<\/strong><\/h2>\n

What happened to Ahmad\u2019s children is being repeated inside Gaza\u2019s hospitals.<\/p>\n

Speaking to QNN, Dr. Hatem Dhaheer, Head of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Nasser Hospital, offered a medical explanation for these deaths.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMost of the infants who die suddenly from cold are premature babies or those weighing less than 2.5 kilograms,\u201d he said. \u201cTheir bodies are extremely fragile, and even a small drop in temperature can have catastrophic consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n

When an infant\u2019s body temperature falls below 33 degrees Celsius, survival becomes unlikely. \u201cAt this level, hypothermia causes bleeding in the brain and sometimes the lungs,\u201d Dr. Dhaheer explained. \u201cIt also triggers a severe drop in heart rate, and within hours the body stops responding, even to mechanical ventilation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of the deaths occurred among infants recently discharged from neonatal incubators.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey left the hospital in relatively good condition,\u201d he said. \u201cBut they were returned to environments that were neither suitable nor warm, tents exposed to sea winds. Tragically, they died shortly afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n

He recalled a premature infant who had spent a month in an incubator and had reached 1.8 kilograms at discharge. Two weeks later, she was brought back to the hospital dead from cold exposure.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach of these deaths is more than a number,\u201d Dr. Dhaheer said. \u201cThey are tiny lives with families clinging to hope. When these children are sent back to tents, it is a struggle no infant should have to face.\u201d<\/p>\n

Babies at the Highest Risk<\/strong><\/h2>\n

According to Zaher Al-Wahedi, Director of the Health Information Department at Gaza\u2019s Ministry of Health, at least seven children have died from extreme cold exposure this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren are the most exposed to death from cold,\u201d Al-Wahedi told QNN, particularly those born prematurely or with low birth weight.<\/p>\n

Newborns lose heat far more quickly than adults due to their body composition. While such risks can be managed in stable environments, they become nearly impossible to control in Gaza\u2019s overcrowded displacement camps.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the population is living in tents,\u201d he said. \u201cThe wind cuts through them, rain soaks them, and the smallest children are left almost completely unshielded.\u201d<\/p>\n

Skin-to-skin contact with mothers can reduce risk, but even this is often not enough. Poor maternal nutrition, caused by chronic food shortages, has increased premature births, miscarriages, and fragile newborns.<\/p>\n

Al-Wahedi noted that no adult deaths from cold were recorded during this period. The victims are overwhelmingly infants.<\/p>\n

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Cold That Kills Quietly<\/strong><\/h2>\n

At 4\u00b0C, many of the body\u2019s basic biological processes begin to slow<\/a>, and prolonged exposure can quickly lead to hypothermia, organ failure, and death, especially in infants.<\/p>\n

When exposed to cold, the body initially shivers to generate heat. In wet conditions, common in Gaza\u2019s coastal camps, heat loss accelerates dramatically.<\/p>\n

Infants are especially vulnerable. They cannot shiver effectively or regulate body temperature. They depend entirely on caregivers who are themselves cold, malnourished, and exhausted.<\/p>\n

These deaths are preventable. A tent made of nylon and fabric cannot replace a home. An incubator cannot protect a child once that child is returned to freezing conditions. Medical knowledge exists. What is missing is shelter, warmth, food, and safety.<\/p>\n

Freezing to death is not dramatic. For infants, it is silent.<\/p>\n

For Ahmad Tottah, the loss is permanent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want my children to be seen,\u201d he told us. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t want any other father to hold his baby all night, not knowing they are already gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Go to Original – qudsnen.co<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

16 Jan 2026\u00a0– At least seven infants have died this winter in Gaza. Displaced babies freeze in soaked tents as Israel\u2019s blockade blocks essential aid. This is how Israel is freezing Gaza\u2019s babies to death.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":312233,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[3287,3729,554,1559,532,405,1854,101,100,1199,2242,87,865,1966,88,2416,427,3534,2897,880,99,70,965,2876],"class_list":["post-312232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-palestine-israel-gaza-genocide","tag-anti-zionism","tag-ceasefire","tag-children","tag-collective-punishment","tag-colonialism","tag-colonization","tag-crimes-against-humanity","tag-cultural-violence","tag-direct-violence","tag-ethnic-cleansing","tag-famine","tag-gaza","tag-genocide","tag-hunger","tag-israel","tag-israeli-occupation","tag-palestine","tag-palestinian-holocaust","tag-sociocide","tag-state-terrorism","tag-structural-violence","tag-usa","tag-war-crimes","tag-weather"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=312232"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312232\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":312238,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312232\/revisions\/312238"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/312233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=312232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=312232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=312232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}