Hamas-run agency says 6 newborns have died as cold snap grips Gaza

The Hamas-run civil defense agency in Gaza says that six newborn babies have died in a cold snap that has gripped the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave over the past week.

“As a result of a severe cold wave and the lack of heating, we have recorded the deaths of six newborns during the past week up until today,” agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal tells AFP.

Temperatures have fallen to zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) in recent days as a cold front has gripped the eastern Mediterranean.

Although an ongoing ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has seen a surge in the volume of humanitarian aid entering Gaza, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians continue to live in tents.

Many are camped out in the rubble of their former homes and are struggling to survive as temperatures drop.

Hamas has repeatedly accused Israel of preventing shelter materials and mobile homes from being delivered to Gaza’s 2.4 million people, most of whom have been displaced at least once during the war.

Reports earlier this month alleged that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had refused to approve the entry of mobile homes into the enclave, but a senior Israeli official said last week that the issue had been resolved and that Israel was starting to allow the temporary housing into the Strip, along with heavy construction equipment.

Hamas nevertheless blames the deaths of the six newborns on Israel’s blocking of aid materials.

“We call on the mediators to take immediate action to stop the occupation’s violation of the ceasefire agreement … and facilitate the entry of essential supplies such as shelter, heating and urgent medical items into Gaza,” the terror group says in a statement.

“This is crucial to protect the children of Gaza.”