Cold kills another infant in Gaza as West Bank displacement intensifies

The baby girl – just three months old – was found frozen to death on Tuesday morning at her home in Gaza City, according to media reports. 

This brings the total number of cold weather deaths this season to nine, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told journalists in New York. 

In response, the UN aid coordination office OCHA, again called for urgent solutions “including allowing the entry of batteries, solar panels and other energy sources that are needed to set up communal heating spaces.”  

Thousands receive food aid

Humanitarians continue to support Gaza’s population more than three months into the ceasefire and amid ongoing aid restrictions. 

Since the start of the year, more than 860,000 people have received food packages distributed through 50 distribution points, said Mr. Haq. 

“We also continue to provide some 1.6 million hot meals every day to people in need,” he added. 

Vaccines, medical evacuations

UN partners working in the health sector have vaccinated 3,000 children under three in the first two days of a 10-day routine immunization campaign that began on Sunday.  

The aim is to further protect young lives from vaccine-preventable diseases.   

The World Health Organization (WHO) also facilitated another medical evacuation on Monday, transporting 21 patients and their companions to Jordan.  

However, more than 18,000 patients, including 4,000 children, are still waiting to be evacuated to receive medical care that is not available in Gaza.  

WHO called for more UN Member States to accept these patients and for the re-opening of the medical evacuation route to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.    

West Bank update

In other developments: 

OCHA published its latest West Bank monthly update, which showed that 14 Palestinians were killed and 231 injured there in December. 

Israeli settlers also carried out 132 attacks during this period that resulted in casualties or property damage, while 246 Palestinians were displaced. 

Seven Israelis were wounded in the territory, though no fatalities were recorded.   

The report further documented record-high displacement and settler attacks in 2025. 

Ammunition, airstrikes and attacks

There were 240 Palestinian fatalities, including 55 children, in the West Bank last year. Most deaths, 225, were at the hands of Israeli forces, and nine by settlers.  The remainder were by either of these groups. 

Three quarters of all fatalities (181) were caused by live ammunition and 17 per cent (41) occurred in air strikes.  Use of other weapons accounted for 18 deaths, or eight per cent. 

Last year, 3,982 Palestinians were injured, including nearly 700 children, and 37,135 were displaced.  Attacks by Israeli settlers numbered 1,828 resulting in casualties and/or property damage. 

During the same period, 17 Israelis were killed, including a child and six force members. Another 101 Israelis suffered injuries, with five children and 32 soldiers among them. 

Palestinian neighborhoods ‘systematically emptied’

Separately, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, warned that the pace of forced displacement of Palestinians in East Jerusalem is accelerating and historic neighbourhoods are being “systematically emptied”. 

Ajith Sunghay, head of OHCHR’s office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), highlighted demolitions and evictions in Silwan neighbourhood south of the Old City. 

Settlements have also expanded unlawfully in the heart of three of the most significant Palestinian urban centres: East Jerusalem, Ramallah and Bethlehem. 

Homes taken over

“Evictions typically result in the transfer of Palestinian homes to Israeli settlers, further eroding Palestinian presence immediately adjacent to the Old City,” he told UN News. 

“Some homes are taken over by Israeli authorities to make way for settlement projects which currently include a tourist park with a cable car line that would connect West Jerusalem to the Old City.” 

A ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July 2024 found that Israel’s forced evictions and extensive house demolitions ran contrary to the prohibition of forcible transfer under the Fourth Geneva Convention. 

The ICJ – the UN’s principal judicial body – called on Israel to bring to an end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.