Arabic version: وفاة رضيع في غزة بانخفاض حرارة الجسم داخل مأوى من الخيام

According to Al Jazeera, nine-month-old Kinan Ahmed Raqiq died from hypothermia in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, after cold temperatures overnight. His father, Ahmed Raqiq, said he woke to find the infant’s skin had turned blue and rushed him to Nasser Hospital, where the child had already died. A doctor speaking anonymously to AFP said Kinan died from hypothermia, while Gaza Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal confirmed the death after exposure to extreme cold.

The death was reported as Israel continued to impose severe restrictions on winter supplies to the war-ravaged territory. The United Kingdom, Qatar and Jordan led a coalition of more than 50 countries and organisations calling for the immediate entry into Gaza of critical shelter, fuel, water, sanitation and health items. The group said too many people remained without adequate shelter and faced risks including hypothermia, respiratory infections, waterborne diseases and other preventable illnesses.

Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to criticism from the United States-led Board of Peace by saying Israel had allowed supplies including 91,000 tents into Gaza. He said Hamas alone was responsible for the suffering of Gaza’s people. The statement by the coalition also echoed criticism of Israeli restrictions from United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher.

Heavy rain and flooding this week have further affected people living in temporary shelters. Five people, including three children, died the day after flooding when a sandy embankment eroded and collapsed onto their tents. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said 26,000 households had been affected by storms as of November 8, and that about 65 percent of Gaza’s people were still displaced in tents or other temporary shelter. UNICEF spokesman James Elder warned that the flooding marked only the beginning of the cold season, saying Gaza was still weeks away from winter.