GAZA CITY: Gaza’s civil defense agency said on Tuesday that six newborn babies have died in a cold snap which has gripped the war-ravaged Palestinian territory 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 told AFP.
Meteorologists say 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 from being delivered to Gaza’s 2.4 million people, most of whom have been displaced at least once during the war.
It blamed 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,” Hamas said in a statement.
“This is crucial to protect the children of Gaza.”
Six newborns die as cold snap grips Gaza: civil defense
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Six newborns die as cold snap grips Gaza: civil defense
- “As a result of a severe cold wave and the lack of heating, we have recorded the deaths of six newborns during past week up until today,” civil defence agency said
Syrian government foils Daesh plot to attack churches and New Year celebrations
- Bomber kills soldier in Aleppo, detonates explosives injuring 2 others
ALEPPO, DAMASCUS: The Syrian Interior Ministry announced on Thursday that it had thwarted a Daesh plot to carry out suicide attacks targeting New Year celebrations and churches, particularly in Aleppo.
The ministry said in a statement that, as part of ongoing counterterrorism efforts and careful monitoring of Daesh cells in cooperation with partner agencies, it had received intelligence indicating plans for suicide attacks targeting New Year celebrations in several provinces, particularly Aleppo, with a focus on churches and civilian gathering areas.
The ministry added that it took preemptive measures, including reinforcing security around churches, deploying mobile and fixed patrols, and setting up checkpoints across the city.
During operations at a checkpoint in Aleppo’s Bab Al-Faraj district, security forces intercepted a suspected Daesh member who opened fire. One internal security soldier was killed, and the attacker detonated explosives, injuring two others.
Daesh recently increased its attacks in Syria, and was blamed for an attack last month in Palmyra that killed three Americans.
On Dec. 13, two US soldiers and an American civilian were killed in an attack Washington blamed on a lone Daesh gunman in Palmyra.
In retaliation, American forces struck scores of Daesh targets in Syria.
Syrian authorities have also carried out several operations against Daesh since then, saying on Dec. 25 they had killed a senior leader of the group.
