27-day-old baby dies of hypothermia in Gaza, eighth child this winter

A 27-day-old baby died in Gaza on Saturday from severe cold, bringing the number of children who have died of hypothermia since the start of the current winter season to eight, the Palestinian health ministry said. Medical sources confirmed to the news agency Anadolu that the newborn, named Aisha Ayesh al-Agha, died as a result of freezing temperatures and arrived at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis already too late to be saved; no further details were released about her condition prior to death.

The Gaza health ministry also said another baby, aged one, died of hypothermia overnight, and strong winter winds caused walls to collapse onto flimsy tents on Tuesday, killing at least four people. Two recent reports by Physicians for Human Rights, in collaboration with the Global Human Rights Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI), document how the war has led to high maternal and neonatal mortality.

The document reports "2,600 miscarriages, 220 pregnancy-related deaths, 1,460 premature births, over 1,700 underweight newborns and over 2,500 infants requiring neonatal intensive care" between January and June 2025. Mothers in Gaza are forced into unthinkable choices as maternal and newborn care has been dismantled by fuel shortages, blocked medical supplies, mass displacement and relentless bombardment, and relocating to overcrowded tent encampments has become the only remaining option.

Key Topics

World, Palestinian Health Ministry, Gaza, Khan Younis, Nasser Hospital, Neonatal Mortality