Born in the heat of war, dead from the cold: Gaza's children are freezing to death

A dewdrop fell from the roof of a tent on to Yahya Muhammed al-Batran’s nose, waking him to the news that his newborn son, one half of a pair of twin brothers, had frozen to death overnight on Sunday.

Originally from Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, Batran’s wife had given birth a month earlier. The children’s first home was a makeshift tent for the displaced, patched over with blankets, in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.

The rudimentary protection from the winter cold and the lack of appropriate clothing meant the boys were at risk from the outset.

Recalling the discovery that his child had died, Batran said: “My wife was awake. I asked her what was wrong, and she pointed to Jumaa and shook her head. 

“She said: ‘Ali seems half alive. But Jumaa, I’ve been trying to wake him for a while, and he won’t wake up.’

Read more: Born in the heat of war, dead from the cold: Gaza's children are freezing to death