OMM Newsroom
A nine-month-old Palestinian baby has died from severe cold in the Gaza Strip, marking the first cold-related death recorded there during the current winter season, the Health Ministry said Friday, according to Anadolu Agency.
The ministry identified the infant as Kinan Ahmed Arqiq in a statement carried by the Gaza Media Office. He died after suffering a sharp drop in body temperature.
The baby was transferred from Kuwaiti Hospital to Nasser Medical Complex on Thursday and arrived dead, the ministry said. A forensic examination confirmed severe hypothermia as the cause of death.
The ministry said 10 people died from cold exposure in Gaza during the 2025 winter season.
The latest death comes as hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians face worsening living conditions amid heavy rain, flooding and shortages of adequate shelter.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), heavy rainfall from Nov. 6 to 8 caused widespread flooding across Gaza, damaging thousands of tents and makeshift shelters.
OCHA said about 1.4 million people, or 65% of Gaza’s population, are living in tents or temporary shelters.
The report said Israel’s war has left much of Gaza in ruins, forcing displaced families to shelter in tents and damaged buildings. Israeli restrictions on shelter and repair supplies continue to hamper recovery despite a ceasefire that has been in effect since October 2025.
