Babies dying of cold in Gaza, UN reports

At least five babies in Gaza have died from crippling cold since Christmas Eve, according to the UN's latest humanitarian update.

Published on 31 December, the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says the babies reportedly died of hypothermia as Israel continues its air, land and sea bombardments.

The deaths were reported at tents in central and southern Gaza between 24 and 29 December. The youngest was three days old.

The UN's agency for children (UNICEF) says it is likely more will perish, in what they describe as preventable deaths given the heavy rains and cold weather.

Although temperatures are set to increase with lows around 12 Celsius on Friday, according to the Weather Channel, tens of thousands of Gazas are still living in dilapidated tents along the coast and exposed to wind and rain.

"Amid the ongoing war, severe storms are causing widespread flooding, leaving thousands in urgent need of safety and humanitarian aid," said the UN relief agency in Gaza.

UNICEF had also in November said approximately 7,700 newborns in Gaza lack access to lifesaving care.

At least 14,000 children in Gaza are said to have been killed so far, following the attack by the Gaza-based militant group that killed 1,200 Israelis on 7 October, 2023.

The Palestinian Authority's ministry of health says the number of children killed is closer to 18,000.

And its Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics says the population of Gaza has fallen by 6 percent since the start of the war in October with approximately 45,500 Palestinians killed and 11,000 missing.

It means the population in Gaza has declined by 160,000 to around 2.1 million. Of those remaining, some 47 percent are below the age of 18, says the office.

For its part, Israel has described the figures as "fabricated, inflated, and manipulated in order to vilify Israel”.

Israel also on Wednesday said its military conducted more than 1,400 airstrikes on targets in Gaza in December alone.