UN humanitarian workers are outraged that eight newborns have died of hypothermia, a severe drop in body temperature, in the past month alone.
Amid the harsh winter weather in 2025, 74 children have died so far. “We are entering this new year with the same horror as last year,” Louise Wateridge, emergencies officer at the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), told UN News.
“There has been no progress and no consolation. “Children are dying of cold now.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli military inflicted heavy Palestinian casualties and continued widespread destruction in Gaza. Palestinian armed groups also launch rocket attacks on Israel, putting civilians at risk.
“The Secretary-General once again condemns the massive civilian casualties resulting from this violent conflict,” UN Secretary-General’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Thursday.
Lack of adequate food
According to UN humanitarian workers, the hunger crisis in the Gaza Strip is increasing due to lack of supplies of essential goods, restrictions on relief operations and looting by armed groups.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that as of last Sunday, the storage facilities of UN partner agencies in central and southern Gaza had run out of all supplies.
It comes at a time when Israeli authorities have rejected most requests to deliver food aid to the region south of the Wadi Gaza through the Eretz border crossing.
About 1.20 lakh metric tonnes of food aid is stuck outside the Gaza Strip, to provide rations to the entire population for more than three months.
UN partner agencies have warned that food supplies to hungry families will be severely limited without additional supplies.
Relief operations are continuing
Humanitarian agencies have warned that fuel shortages for electricity generators are having a severe impact on Gaza’s health system and putting the lives of the sick and wounded at risk.
Despite all these difficulties, the United Nations and its partners continue to strive to provide assistance to the ordinary Palestinian people.
From December 22nd to January 8th, health care was provided to over half a million people in Gaza. The UN Secretary-General reiterated his call on all parties to respect international humanitarian law.
He stressed that the security of the common citizens must always be ensured and their needs met immediately.
Secretary-General Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the immediate, unconditional release of all those held hostage by Hamas.