Gaza’s Ministry of Health today announced that 35-day-old Yousef Kalloub froze to death because of the lack of sufficient winter clothes and suitable living conditions in the enclave as a result of Israel’s genocidal war.
Yousef became the eight baby to freeze to death in Gaza.
In a statement yesterday, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned that “cold weather and lack of shelter are causing the death of newborns in Gaza, while 7,700 newborns lack life-saving care.
The displaced Palestinians have been living in tents made of cloth and nylon, due to the scarcity of essentials such as water and food, in addition to a severe shortage of clothing, blankets and heating during the winter.
Many tents flooded and were blown away from the winter winds last week, leaving many exposed to the elements and putting the lives of infants further at risk.
[See Juan Cole, Gaza Yet Stands (Ann Arbor, 2024) ]
Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, commented,
“Our humanitarian effort in Gaza, already struggling, faces mounting obstacles.
“Just three examples from the last couple of days alone. An Israeli strike seriously injured three people at a known food distribution point where a partner of the World Food Programme was operating. Israeli soldiers fired over 16 bullets at a clearly marked UN convoy at the checkpoint from the south to the north. Armed Palestinian gangs hijacked six fuel tankers entering from the Kerem Shalom crossing, leaving us hardly any fuel for aid operations.
“These incidents are part of a dangerous pattern of sabotage and deliberate disruption. On Friday night, Israeli forces increased attacks during the movement of a 74-truck aid convoy. A drone strike hit a vehicle from the local community which was protecting part of the convoy. And just a few days ago, a UN mission out of Jabalya ran into hostile Israeli soldiers who threatened critical patients and arrested four of them.
“The reality is that despite our determination to deliver food, water, and medicine to survivors, our efforts to save lives are at breaking point. There is no meaningful civil order. Israeli forces are unable or unwilling to ensure the safety of our convoys. Statements by Israeli authorities vilify our aid workers even as the military attacks them. Community volunteers who accompany our convoys are being targeted. There is now a perception that it is dangerous to protect aid convoys but safe to loot them.”
The World Food Program complained about Israel firing on its aid workers: “The World Food Program (WFP) strongly condemns the horrifying incident on Jan. 5, when a clearly marked WFP convoy was shot at by Israeli forces near the Wadi Gaza checkpoint, putting the lives of our staff at tremendous risk and leaving the vehicles immobilized. The convoy, consisting of three vehicles carrying eight staff members, came under hostile fire despite having received all of the necessary clearances from Israeli authorities. At least 16 bullets struck the vehicles. Thankfully, no staff members were injured in this terrifying encounter.”
“Flour,” Digital, Dream / Dreamland v3, IbisPaint, 2024
UN News adds that the firing on the WFP convoy took place at that same time as reports that a projectile hit a flour distribution center located in central Gaza, managed by a United Nations aid collaborator, over the weekend, critically wounding three relief workers. Personnel from the UN agency present near the storage facility recounted hearing distressing screams following the impact. Additionally, they reported instances of looting and gunfire that occurred after the explosion on Sunday at the MA’AN Development Center site.
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