Temperatures are expected to drop further as the Israeli military continues to bombard the Gaza Strip. In this situation, millions of Palestinians leave their homes and spend the night in tents and temporary shelters.
Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, quoted the Palestinian Ministry of Health as saying on Friday that four newborns had died in the past few days due to ‘hypothermia’, a drop in body temperature.
He said these deaths were preventable, and reflected the desperate and dire situation facing families and children in Gaza.
The temperature may drop further in the coming days. The prospect of many more children losing their lives in these inhumane conditions is tragic.”
According to a senior UNICEF official, the risk of attacks remains constant and local people remain without access to nutritious food and health care.
Their temporary shelters are not enough to protect them in this frigid climate.
More than 90 percent of Gaza’s population faces crisis-level hunger.
Humanitarian aid is disrupted
UNICEF and other UN agencies have warned that their humanitarian aid convoys are not being allowed to enter the Gaza Strip and deliver relief to those in need.
According to regional director Eduard Beigbeder, an average of 65 trucks entered Gaza per day in November, too few to meet the huge demand of children, women and other civilians.
In view of this, UNICEF and the World Food Program (WFP) have requested the opening of all routes and border posts.
WFP reports that only one-third of the total amount of food is being delivered to Gaza and hunger is widespread.
The World Food Program is working to provide life-saving aid to children and families in Gaza.
Condemn the killing of journalists
On the other hand, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) strongly condemned the killing of five journalists by the Israeli military on Thursday.
The UN office said in its message on Friday that the journalists were unarmed and could clearly be identified as members of the press. But his van was attacked in an airstrike near Al Awda Hospital in Gaza.
At the same time, the Israeli army says that these journalists were associated with Palestinian armed groups. The UN office said this claim does not remove their responsibility to protect them as ordinary citizens.
The organization demanded a detailed and impartial investigation into the incident and reiterated that all possible measures must be taken to protect all civilians, including journalists, in Gaza.