Children in Gaza Endure Severe Cold Amidst Aid Blockade by Israel

Critical Situation of Children in Gaza

Children in the Gaza Strip are facing respiratory infections, skin diseases, and other health issues, according to a humanitarian organization, as Israel imposes severe restrictions on essential aid supplies even during the freezing winter temperatures.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) stated on Wednesday that infants are "suffering from severe cold," while displaced Palestinian families live in makeshift shelters within the bombarded enclave. "People are facing heavy rains and strong winds while living in makeshift shelters," the group added in a social media post.

Israel has blocked humanitarian aid from entering Gaza during its genocidal war against the Palestinians, resulting in widespread famine. Legal experts have emphasized that this violates Israel's obligation, as an occupying power in the Gaza Strip, to meet the needs of Palestinians in the territory under its control.

Despite international condemnation and calls from the United Nations to allow more supplies, Israel has maintained its restrictions and has also attempted to block international humanitarian organizations from operating in the territory. MSF stated that revoking the operating licenses of 37 humanitarian groups, including MSF and the Norwegian Refugee Council, is "a cynical attempt to prevent organizations from providing services in Palestine and is a violation of Israel's obligations under international humanitarian law."

In recent weeks, the affected areas have been subjected to violent winds, heavy rains, and freezing temperatures. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian families have been forced to take shelter in improvised camps or other inadequately equipped shelters due to the destruction of their homes in the Israeli war. According to the latest data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 424 Palestinians have been killed since October 11, and another 1,199 have been injured in Israeli attacks.