The bombs make the headlines. The cold does not. This week, while mainstream media focused on the diplomatic stalemates in Doha and the intricacies of “hostage exchange ratios,” a tragedy unfolded in a plastic tent in Khan Younis that should shatter our collective conscience. Gaza’s children are not alright.
It didn’t happen with a bang. There was no explosion, no breaking news alert, and no viral video. It happened in the quiet, terrifying dark of a freezing December night.
His name was Mohammed Abu al-Khair. He was exactly 14 days old – he did not die from shrapnel – he did not die from a bullet. He froze to death.
Gaza’s Children: A Life Measured in Days
According to a report verified by Al Jazeera on December 18, 2025, Baby Mohammed died of severe hypothermia.
His mother, Eman, told reporters the most heartbreaking sentence I have heard all year: “I simply wasn’t able to keep him warm enough.”
Mohammed was born into a war zone, underweight and vulnerable—a common condition now, as thousands of pregnant mothers in Gaza are suffering from acute malnutrition. For two weeks, his parents tried to keep him alive in a tent made of nylon sheets. But nylon offers no insulation against the 5°C (41°F) winds whipping off the Mediterranean.
On his last night, the temperature dropped. The dampness from the flooded ground seeped into his blankets. By morning, his tiny body had turned blue. He is the fourth child to die of cold in Gaza this week alone.
Our previous update for Gaza is here.
The “Silent” Killer: General Winter
We are seeing a new phase of the genocide. The summer brought disease; the winter brings death by exposure.
The recent winter storm—dubbed “Storm Byron” by some meteorologists—has turned the so-called “safe zones” of Al-Mawasi and Deir al-Balah into uninhabitable swamps.
- The Mud: Reports confirm that over 55,000 households have been flooded. This isn’t just rainwater; it is a toxic sludge of mud and raw sewage, as the sanitation infrastructure has been totally destroyed.
- The “Yellow Line” Trap: Families are trapped. If they move east to higher ground, they risk being shot by snipers enforcing the Israeli “buffer zone.” If they stay, they drown in the mud.
The Ban on Warmth
Let’s be clear: this is not a natural disaster. Hypothermia in Gaza is a manufactured weapon.
The cold is deadly because the means to fight it have been banned. Under the guise of “security,” Israeli authorities continue to block the entry of items deemed “dual-use.” In December 2025, this list of banned items effectively includes survival gear:
- Tent Poles: Metal poles are banned, forcing families to use flimsy wood or plastic that collapses in the wind.
- Heavy Fabric: Tarpaulins and thick winter blankets are trickling in at a rate so slow it would take years to cover everyone.
- Fuel: Without fuel, there are no heaters. Families are burning trash and plastic to stay warm, leading to a spike in respiratory diseases among children who are already immunocompromised.
The Medical Reality
Doctors at Al-Aqsa Hospital are reporting a terrifying cycle. Mothers, starving and stressed, are giving birth to smaller, weaker babies. These low-birth-weight infants lack the body fat to regulate their own temperature. When you place a malnourished baby in a wet, 5-degree tent without a heater, hypothermia is mathematically inevitable.
Dr. Rik Peeperkorn from the WHO warned us months ago that “the silent killers” would eventually outpace the airstrikes. We have arrived at that moment.
Conclusion: A War on Childhood
Mohammed Abu al-Khair’s life lasted 336 hours. He knew nothing but cold.
As you turn up the thermostat in your home tonight, remember that there are 20,000 other babies like Mohammed currently lying on the wet ground of Al-Mawasi. The world failed Mohammed. We are currently failing them.
This is not just “weather.” This is a war crime.