A baby girl has frozen to death in Gaza, while Israel and Hamas accused each other of complicating ceasefire efforts that could wind down the 14-month war.
Doctors said the 3-week old baby was the third to die from the cold in Gaza's tent camps in recent days, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are crammed into often ramshackle tents after fleeing Israeli offensives.
Israel’s bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza has killed over 45,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count.
Israeli's action was triggered by the Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which 1200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
The offensive has caused widespread destruction and displaced some 90 per cent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people, often multiple times. Aid groups have struggled to deliver food and supplies and say there are shortages of blankets, warm clothing and firewood.
The father of 3-week-old Sila, Mahmoud al-Faseeh, wrapped her in a blanket to try and keep her warm in their tent in the Muwasi area outside the town of Khan Younis, but it wasn't enough, he told The Associated Press.
He said the tent was not sealed from the wind and the ground was cold, as temperatures on Tuesday night dropped to 9 degrees Celsius.
“It was very cold overnight and as adults we couldn’t even take it. We couldn’t stay warm,” he said. In the morning they found Sila unresponsive, her body stiff.
She was rushed to a field hospital where doctors tried to revive her, but her lungs had already deteriorated.
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 3 days old, the other a month old — had been brought to the hospital over the past 48 hours after dying of hypothermia.
In the latest Israeli strikes in Gaza, at least 10 people have been killed, including five journalists, and more than a dozen wounded, local health authorities said.
The five journalists, working for the Al-Quds Al-Youm television channel, were killed when their marked vehicle was hit near the Al-Awda hospital in Nuseirat.
The Israeli army said its air force attacked the vehicle in a "targeted manner", adding members of the Islamic Jihad militant group were inside.
Meanwhile hopes for a ceasefire are on hold, with Israel and Hamas trading accusations of delaying an agreement. In recent weeks, the two sides appeared to be inching toward a deal that would bring home dozens of hostages held by the militants in Gaza, but differences have emerged.
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.
Israel's government accused Hamas of reneging on understandings that have already been reached. Still, both sides said discussions are ongoing.
Israel’s negotiating team, which includes members from its intelligence agencies and the military, returned from Qatar on Tuesday evening for internal consultations, following a week of what it called “significant negotiations."
Israel says about 100 hostages remain in Gaza — while others have died in captivity or been released in a previous truce.
Families of the hostages are becoming increasingly angry, calling on the Israeli government for a ceasefire before Donald Trump is sworn in as US president.
Trump, who takes office next month for his second term, has said on social media that if the hostages are not freed before he is sworn in, there will be “HELL TO PAY.”
The agreement under negotiation would take effect in phases and include a halt in fighting, an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, and a surge in aid to the besieged Gaza, according to Egyptian, Hamas and American officials. The last phase would include the release of any remaining hostages, an end to the war and talks on reconstruction.
Also Wednesday, a missile launched by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels triggered air raid sirens across central Israel, sending residents fleeing to shelters.
Israel also requested an emergency meeting by the UN Security Council to address the recent attacks. The meeting is set for Monday.
