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
US announces ‘large-scale’ strikes against Daesh in Syria
- CENTCOM said operation ordered by President Donald Trump
- Launched in response to the deadly Dec. 13 Daesh attack in Palmyra
WASHINGTON: US and allied forces carried out “large-scale” strikes against the Daesh group in Syria on Saturday in response to an attack last month that left three Americans dead, the US military said.
“The strikes today targeted Daesh throughout Syria” and were part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was launched “in direct response to the deadly Daesh attack on US and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria” on December 13, US Central Command said in a statement on X.
CENTCOM said the operation was ordered by President Donald Trump following the ambush and is aimed at “root(ing) out Islamic terrorism against our warfighters, prevent(ing) future attacks, and protect(ing) American and partner forces in the region.”
The statement continued: “If you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice,” adding that US and coalition forces remain “resolute in pursuing terrorists who seek to harm the United States.”
The statement did not note whether anyone was killed in the strikes. The Pentagon declined to comment on more details and the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
About 1,000 US troops remain in Syria, while Syria has been cooperating with a US-led coalition against Daesh, reaching an agreement late last year when President Ahmed Al-Sharaa visited the White House.
* With Agencies
