The girl ties the baby to death overnight Gazawhile Israel and Hamas accused each other of complicity in the cease-fire that could have derailed the 14-month war.
A three-week-old baby is the third death from cold in the Gaza camp in recent days, doctors said.
The deaths underscored the squalid conditions there, with hundreds of thousands of Palestinians crammed into tents, often jammed, after fleeing Israeli attacks.
Israel’s bombardment and invasion of Gaza has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its numbers.
It has brought great destruction and displaced approximately 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people, often multiple times.
Hundreds of thousands were packed into tented camps as a cold, wet winter set in. Members of the public have struggled to deliver food and supplies and report shortages of blankets, clothing and firewood.
Israel has increased the amount of aid it allows into the territory, reaching an average of 130 trucks a day so far this month, up from about 70 a day in October and November.
However, the amount remains below that of previous months and the United Nations says it can distribute more than half of the aid because Israeli forces are denied permission to move inside Gaza either because of impiety and theft from trucks.
Three-week-old Sila’s father, Mahmoud al-Faseeh, wrapped her in a blanket to comfort her in his tent in the Muwasi area outside the town of Khan Younis, but it was not enough, he told The Associated Press. Press.
He said the tent was not sealed from the wind and the ground was cold, as the temperature on Tuesday night dropped to 9C (48F.) Muwasi is a desert area of dunes and farmland on the edge of central Gaza.
“It was very cold overnight and we couldn’t even catch the adults. We couldn’t get warm,” he said. Sila woke three times during the night crying and in the morning they found her very slow, with a stiff body.
“It was like wood,” al-Faseeh said. They rushed her to the field hospital where doctors tried to revive her, but her lungs were already deteriorating. Pictures of Silas taken by the AP show a girl with purple lips and pale skin.
Ahmed al-Farra, director of the children’s ward at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, confirmed that the baby died of hypothermia. He said two other babies, one three days old and the other a month old, were brought to the hospital within 48 hours of dying of hypothermia.
Meanwhile, he hopes to end a controversial ceasefire on Wednesday with Israel and the Hamas militant group, which is accusing Gaza of negotiating a delay in the deal. In recent weeks, the two sides appeared to be inching towards a deal that would bring home dozens of hostages held by militants in Gaza, but differences have emerged.
Although Israel and Hamas have expressed hope that progress has been made toward a deal, sticking points remain over the exchange of Palestinian hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, who are speaking out in the talks.
On Wednesday, Hamas accused Israel of introducing new conditions related to the withdrawal from Gaza, the prisoners and the return of displaced people, which it said was delaying the deal.
The government of Israel has accused Hamas of not being aware of what it has already achieved. However, both are said to be ongoing discussions.
The Israeli peace team, which includes members from the intelligence agencies and the military, returned from Qatar on Tuesday evening for internal consultations, after a week of what it called “significant business”.
During the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, Hamas and other groups took about 250 people hostage and brought them to Gaza. Ahead of the November 2023 surrender, more than 100 hostages have been freed, while others have been rescued or their remains recovered in the past year.
Israel says about 100 hostages remain in Gaza – at least a third of whom it believes have been attacked or died in captivity since October 7.
Sporadic talks have taken place throughout the year, but in recent weeks there has been a renewed push for an agreement.