The devastating toll of Israel's genocidal campaign against Palestinians continues to mount, as an eighth infant has died of hypothermia in the besieged Gaza Strip.

The ongoing Israeli aggression, compounded by freezing temperatures and the lack of humanitarian relief, has left displaced families struggling to survive in dire conditions.

Ali Youssef Ahmed Kloub, an infant forced to live in a makeshift tent on a beach near Rafah with his family, succumbed to the cold. Displaced Palestinians, who have been driven from their homes by relentless Israeli bombardments, are enduring a brutal winter without adequate shelter or resources. Ali's mother, borrowing what little bedding and blankets she could from other displaced families, described the heart-wrenching moment she found her baby frozen. "It was as if he had been placed in a freezer," she said, her voice breaking with grief.

Ali’s death reflects the wider suffering inflicted on Gaza’s population by the Israeli occupation. Thousands of families, displaced by airstrikes that have destroyed homes and infrastructure, have sought refuge in Al-Mawasi, a coastal area west of Rafah. This so-called "humanitarian area," designated by Israeli authorities, has been repeatedly attacked, leaving families in fragile tents made of cloth and nylon, completely exposed to the elements.

Health officials in Gaza have reported numerous deaths among children and infants this winter due to the harsh conditions, with hospitals overwhelmed and humanitarian aid blocked. Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), confirmed that babies in Gaza are "freezing to death due to cold weather and a lack of shelter." He criticized Israel’s blockade for preventing critical supplies like blankets and mattresses from entering Gaza for months.

Since October 2023, the genocidal campaign in Gaza has claimed over 45,800 lives, including 17,600 children, according to Gaza health officials. Among these, 1,091 infants have died, with 238 perishing shortly after birth. UNICEF has described the conditions for newborns in Gaza as a "living hell," further underscoring the catastrophic impact of Israel’s actions.

Ali's father, who has now lost two children to hypothermia this winter, mourned at the hospital morgue, a symbol of the unrelenting grief that has engulfed Gaza’s families. The suffering of displaced Palestinians continues to deepen as freezing temperatures, combined with the blockade of humanitarian aid, create a deadly environment for the most vulnerable.

Ali's tragic death is a stark reminder of the urgent need for international intervention to hold Israel accountable for its crimes and to end the siege that has turned Gaza into an open-air prison. Without immediate action, the humanitarian catastrophe will only escalate, and more innocent lives will be lost to this calculated cruelty. (ILKHA)