Ramallah, March 12, 2025 – A Palestinian infant has died and another remains in critical condition after suffering from hypothermia in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, after being forced to live in makeshift tents following repeated Israeli evacuation orders.
On February 16, around approximately 8:30 a.m., infant Adam Mohammad Mohammad Shbair, just 40 days old, was admitted to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis after suffering severe tissue damage and hypothermia, according to documentation collected by Defense for Children International - Palestine. Born prematurely, Adam’s low birth weight and fragile immune system made him especially vulnerable to the freezing temperatures. Adam urgently requires more medical care than is available and remains under constant monitoring with limited treatment options. Days later, on February 25, around 1 a.m., Sham Yousef Mohammad Al-Shambari, only 55 days old, was brought to Nasser Hospital after she was found unresponsive due to hypothermia, her body stiff and skin discolored, accompanied by a nosebleed. She was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.
“Israel’s campaign of genocide in Gaza, which has destroyed the health care system and the vast majority of homes, is responsible for the deaths of Palestinian children like Sham, whose families have no safe place to shelter,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP. “By refusing to hold Israel accountable, world leaders are complicit in the killing of Palestinian children.”
“[M]y wife, Amani, welcomed our daughter, Sham, into the world through a natural birth,” recalled Sham’s father. “However, on February 19, a severe low-pressure system settled over us, bringing a week of frigid temperatures, heavy rain, strong winds, and a significant drop in temperatures, hovering between zero and three degrees Celsius. Sham, so tiny and vulnerable, could not withstand the biting cold. Our tent offered no refuge from the winter's wrath, leaving us exposed to the relentless chill and dampness.”
For the past 15 months, Palestinian families have faced relentless forced displacement under Israeli military orders, leaving them without stable shelter or basic necessities. Families have endured a debilitating healthcare system and severely restricted access to essential supplies, while also suffering extreme economic hardship with no source of income.
Sham and Adam’s families now reside in tents on the western coast of Khan Younis, where damp and frigid winter conditions severely impact the health of their newborns. Hypothermia is particularly difficult for medical teams to treat under Israel’s ongoing siege on the Gaza Strip, in which Israel has cut electricity to the entirety of Gaza, threatening desalination plants, healthcare facilities, and shelters.
The Israeli military has forcibly displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes, pushing them into inhospitable conditions without access to adequate shelter, heating, food, or medical care. Infants and young children are especially vulnerable to extreme weather, yet the ongoing Israeli siege and destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure have made access to lifesaving resources nearly impossible. According to reporting from UNRWA, as of January 12, 2025, eight newborns reportedly died in Gaza from hypothermia, due to cold winter weather and lack of shelter and winter supplies within three weeks. With hospitals overwhelmed, medical supplies dwindling, and humanitarian aid severely restricted, children like Adam face life-threatening conditions with little hope of relief.
Under international humanitarian law, Israel, as an occupying power, is obligated to ensure the well-being and survival of the civilian population and to prevent conditions that cause unnecessary suffering. Israel’s forced displacement, the denial of adequate shelter, and policies that expose civilians to life-threatening conditions constitute serious violations of international law, amounting to war crimes. The deaths and suffering of Palestinian children due to exposure and deprivation are a direct consequence of Israel’s ongoing military assault, blockade, and systematic targeting of civilian infrastructure, leaving Gaza’s population in a state of perpetual humanitarian catastrophe.
