(ICSPR) Warns of the Rising Child Mortality Rates in Gaza Due to Severe Cold Amid the Humanitarian Catastrophe Faced by Genocide Victims.

Date: February 25, 2025
Original Language: Arabic

Press Release

(ICSPR) Warns of the Rising Child Mortality Rates in Gaza Due to Severe Cold Amid the Humanitarian Catastrophe Faced by Genocide Victims.

The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) is deeply concerned about the rising child mortality rates due to severe cold waves striking Gaza.
According to monitoring reports, the Ministry of Health recorded today, Tuesday, February 25, 2025, the deaths of three infants in the past few hours. Additionally, five children had died in northern Gaza over the past week, while three other cases remain in critical condition, suffering from severe hypothermia due to extreme cold and the absence of heating in their shelters. The majority of displaced families are living in makeshift tents made of worn-out fabric, exposed to the open air, without sufficient blankets or heating. Strong winds have uprooted hundreds of tents, while heavy rains have flooded large parts of displacement camps and shelters.

It was reported that the children arrived at the hospital in a state of “frozen shock,” leading to failure in their heart, respiratory, kidney, and brain functions, resulting in their immediate death. This brings the total number of children who have died due to the cold since the beginning of the genocide to approximately 14.

Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation continues to obstruct the implementation of the agreed-upon provisions by preventing the entry of mobile housing units and a sufficient number of tents, hindering the urgent sheltering of Palestinian genocide victims and displaced persons. Additionally, Israel is restricting the entry of medical relief supplies, denying citizens access to heating means, and blocking the entry of heavy equipment and fuel necessary to restart Gaza’s only power plant. Despite assurances from mediators, Israel persists in its collective punishment policy, subjecting the population to conditions that could lead to their destruction, or the destruction of part of them, amounting to a full-fledged crime of genocide.

The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR):

While warning of the increasing child mortality rate in Gaza due to extreme cold and lack of heating, ICSPR affirms that saving the children of Gaza is an urgent humanitarian responsibility that requires immediate international intervention. The international community must act swiftly to stop the loss of innocent lives by pressuring the Israeli occupation to comply with international humanitarian law, the ceasefire agreement, and the humanitarian protocol, which includes allowing the entry of caravans, as shelter has become an urgent humanitarian necessity that cannot be postponed. Ensuring the minimum level of dignity and protection for thousands of families left without a home and with no means to withstand harsh weather conditions is imperative.

Accordingly, ICSPR calls for and demands the following:

• ICSPR calls on the United Nations, third-party states, human rights and humanitarian organizations, the Red Cross, and the Red Crescent to take urgent international action to facilitate the entry of medical aid, temporary housing, and tents for displaced people to prevent further casualties, particularly among children and the elderly. This is especially critical as forecasts warn of an approaching new storm that threatens to worsen the crisis and increase the number of victims.
• ICSPR urges the enhancement of humanitarian and healthcare relief efforts and the provision of necessary supplies for forcibly displaced survivors of the genocide, especially with the approach of the holy month of Ramadan.
• ICSPR calls on mediators and parties guaranteeing the ceasefire agreement to uphold their full responsibilities in compelling the Israeli occupation to honor its commitments and ensure the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid.
• ICSPR demands the activation of legal mechanisms to hold Israeli officials and their partners accountable before international courts.