Children are dying from the cold

Babies in Gaza are dying from hypothermia, as 1.9 million people – nine in ten of the population – are now homeless and living through an unimaginable nightmare. Their fragile bodies cannot withstand the brutal cold that seeps into the flimsy, flooded tents they call home, leaving them vulnerable to a deadly fate.

Since December, at least eight babies have died from the cold.

And with temperatures likely to fall further, and more torrential rain on the way, many more will die without urgent help.

Mothers will wake up to find their baby’s skin has turned blue overnight.

And with Gaza’s healthcare system almost completely destroyed by over a year of war, there will be little hope of saving them.

Cold and wet children are walking barefoot through rubble, desperately searching for scraps of plastic to burn to try and fight off the cold. Their hungry bodies, weakened by the freezing conditions, are at risk from deadly diseases.

They have sheltered wherever they can – in refugee camps, disused schools, abandoned budlings – only to be forced to evacuate to the cold streets again and again.

UNICEF is providing warm blankets, tents and insulating clothes, but thousands of children are still at risk. They need much more immediate support if families are to escape the horror of watching their babies die from hypothermia.

Bombs, bullets and hunger have already killed over 14,500 children in Gaza. Your support now can prevent thousands more from dying in the cold.

There isn’t a minute to lose

“I tried to warm her, but I couldn’t. Her body was blue, her nose was bleeding, and she had bitten her tongue” – Nariman 

When Nariman awoke in her freezing tent she was greeted with any parent’s worst nightmare: her baby had turned blue and was frozen from the cold.

Sila had been born two weeks earlier healthy and happy. But she was born into a warzone, with no home, no heating and few clothes. And it was winter.

The night before Sila died, Nariman had breastfed her daughter and tried to keep her warm by hugging her close. But her home is a windy tent in a refugee camp that often floods from torrential rain. Sila suffered a severe drop in her body temperature. Her vital organs shut down, ending her short life. 

Sila had a brother and sister. They are sick and exhausted from the cold. They need immediate help if another tragedy is to be avoided. They and thousands of other children need your help now.

Your support is crucial

Children in Gaza are exhausted, sick, and in the worst cases dying from the cold.

With little shelter, suitable clothes, or functioning healthcare systems, thousands will struggle to survive.

In Gaza, 67% of water and sanitation infrastructure and 82% of health facilities have been destroyed or damaged.

Thousands of children are now completely reliant on life-saving supplies being sent by people like you.

With the bombs falling endlessly, the threats to delivering this aid are deadly and the challenges immense.

Yet despite this, live-saving warm clothes and blankets, as well as food and safe water, is reaching children and helping them survive the horror thanks to generous support from people like you. This includes:

• Distributing warm clothes to 150,000 children this winter.
• Providing 300,000 tarps to protect families from the cold and torrential rain.
• Giving humanitarian cash transfers to over 1 million people, allowing them to buy essential items such as cooking fuel from the extremely limited supplies available in local markets.
• Treating at least 21,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition in Gaza.
• Providing access to safe water for more than 1 million children at risk from deadly diseases.

Despite these efforts, millions more people need ongoing, urgent help. Right now, children in Gaza face suffering and death from the deadly cold. They need your help now. 

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How you can make a difference in Gaza right now

UNICEF is on the ground in Gaza providing life-saving blankets and clothes to children in urgent need.  

• €100 can provide thermal blankets to keep 17 children warm and protect them from the cold.

• €150 can provide 3 children a clothing kit to keep them safe in bitter weather conditions.

• €250 can provide 17 thermal blankets and 3 clothing kits to keep children warm and protect them from cold.

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