In the Al-Mawasi area of southern Gaza, a bitter tragedy struck with the death of a newborn baby in a tented camp. Sela Mahmoud Al-Fasih succumbed to the extreme cold, highlighting the devastating survival challenges faced by Palestinian children displaced by Israel’s ongoing assault on the Gaza Strip.
Little Sela was just three weeks old when the unrelenting cold claimed her young life. In the past 48 hours, at least two other infants, aged three days and one month, have also perished due to the freezing temperatures and lack of access to warm shelter, said Dr. Ahmed Al-Farra, head of pediatrics and obstetrics at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
The Al-Mawasi settlement, a coastal area west of Rafah, has become a haven for thousands of displaced Palestinians seeking refuge, living for months in makeshift tents made of cloth and nylon. Israel’s designation of the area as a “humanitarian zone” has not prevented repeated attacks, forcing entire families to flee to the precarious location.
Harrowing images show Sela’s father, Mahmoud Al-Fasih, holding her body wrapped in a white shroud, as a group of young Palestinians mourn at her grave. Sela’s mother, Nariman Al-Fasih, speaks of her grief, explaining how she tried to keep her daughter warm as they were in dire need of warm clothing.
The tragedy echoes the terrible reality of Gaza, devastated by Israeli assaults and plunged into a major humanitarian crisis. Thousands of lives have been taken, families have been destroyed, and the suffering is spreading, giving way to an unprecedented health emergency.
Palestinian children are paying an unbearable price in this conflict. More than 17,600 of them have already lost their lives since the beginning of the war. One child is killed every hour in Gaza, according to United Nations data. Thousands of children find themselves separated from their families, destitute in the face of precarious living conditions.
Humanitarian organizations are sounding the alarm, highlighting the urgency of the situation. Children are deprived of necessary medical care, with infrastructure heavily impacted by Israeli attacks. The lack of medical equipment is endangering the lives of premature babies, forcing doctors to make heartbreaking choices to save as many children as possible.
Faced with this human tragedy, the international community must act. Palestinian children’s human rights are being violated, their futures compromised by violence and misery. There is an urgent need to end this cycle of suffering and rebuild a more just future for generations to come..
The death of Sela, this little angel taken too soon by the cold and indifference, must serve as an electroshock, mobilizing consciences and actions so that never again a child perishes in such conditions. Solidarity and compassion must guide our steps towards a more humane, more just future for all the children of Gaza.