In a heartbreaking illustration of Gaza’s deepening humanitarian catastrophe, a two-week-old Palestinian baby named Mohammed Khalil Abu al-Khair froze to death from severe hypothermia. The infant’s tragic passing, confirmed by Gaza’s Health Ministry, highlights how harsh winter conditions—combined with restricted access to essential shelter materials—are turning the cold into a lethal threat for the enclave’s most vulnerable residents.
Displaced families like Mohammed’s are enduring unimaginable hardship in flimsy tents that offer little protection against plummeting temperatures, torrential rains, and fierce winds. Recent storms have flooded camps, collapsed makeshift shelters, and claimed multiple lives, exacerbating a crisis already strained by over two years of conflict.
The Human Face of Gaza’s Winter Crisis
Mohammed’s mother, known as Umm Mohammed Assaliya, shared the desperate reality facing her family: “We try to dry the children’s clothes over the fire. There are no spare clothes for them. I am exhausted. The tent we were given cannot withstand winter conditions. We need blankets.”
Living on wet ground without heating, electricity, or adequate clothing, displaced Palestinians are seeing basic survival needs go unmet. Al Jazeera correspondent Tareq Abu Azzoum described the situation starkly: “Families are living in tents on wet ground without heating, electricity or sufficient clothing. When food, fuel, shelter and aid are banned, cold absolutely becomes lethal.”
Reports indicate other children have succumbed to exposure, while a recent storm killed at least 11 people through flooding and structural collapses. With more than 80% of Gaza’s buildings damaged or destroyed, hundreds of thousands remain in inadequate tent encampments.
Aid Restrictions Fuel the Crisis
Humanitarian organizations, including UNRWA, have repeatedly warned that Israeli restrictions on shelter items—such as tents, blankets, tarpaulins, and winter clothing—are directly contributing to preventable deaths. UNRWA stated: “People have reportedly died due to the collapse of damaged buildings where families were sheltering. Children have reportedly died from exposure to the cold. This must stop. Aid must be allowed in at scale, now.”
Despite a fragile ceasefire in place since October 2025, access challenges persist, with aid deliveries falling short of needs. The blockade of critical supplies has dismantled essential protections, leaving families exposed as winter intensifies.
Broader Toll on Gaza’s Children and Families
The infant’s death comes amid ongoing violations of the ceasefire, with hundreds of Palestinians reported killed or wounded in recent months. Malnutrition, disease outbreaks, and trauma compound the risks, particularly for children who make up nearly half of Gaza’s population.
UN agencies emphasize that these conditions are man-made and preventable. Without immediate, unimpeded access for humanitarian aid—including winterization kits, fuel, and medical supplies—the coming months threaten even greater loss of life.
As global attention focuses on ceasefire negotiations and reconstruction, voices from Gaza underscore an urgent plea: allow aid to flow freely to avert further tragedy. The death of baby Mohammed serves as a grim reminder that in conflict zones, silence from the international community can be as deadly as the cold itself.
