Gazawood doubts death of Gazan girl of cold weather

Infamous “GAZAWOOD” account on “X” posted two photos of a newborn baby girl, accompanied by the following text: “The more photos I find of the 2-week-old baby, whom the Palestinians claim froze to death, the more I see that she is covered in external injuries. Why is she so injured? Was she abused?”, questioning whether the baby died of cold.

Kashif verified the claim and found it to be misleading. The first photo, which includes a group of photos of a newborn baby, was posted by journalist Amr Tabash on his Instagram account on 25/12/2024, with the following text: “Infant, Sila Al-Fasih, who was only 20 days old, died due to severe cold inside her tent in Khan Yunis. There are fears of an increase in the number of children dying due to cold inside the tents of displaced persons in the coming days. Save the children before it is too late.”

Journalist Amr Tabash, told Kashif’s team that he took the photo of Sila Al-Fasih, who died inside her tent in Khan Younis. She was transferred to the British Hospital, where it was announced that the cause of death was the cold. She was then transferred to Nasser Hospital and presented to Dr. Ahmed Al-Farra, head of the children’s department at Nasser Medical Complex, who confirmed that the cause of the child’s death was the cold. Al-Farra warned in an interview with journalist Tabash of the high death toll due to the cold and the inefficiency of the tents.  

The second photo, which shows a child’s feet, was published by Gettyimages on 25/12/2024 with the following caption: “A baby dies due to cold weather in Gaza. Lifless body of Sila, who lost her life due to cold weather, is brought to Nasser Hospital for funeral processin Khan Yunis, Gaza on December 25, 2024. The displaced Fasih family, living in a makeshift tent in Al-Mawasi, lost their two-week-old baby, Sila, due to the freezing conditions.” Gettyimages stated that the photo was taken by journalist Hani Al-Shaer.

Journalist Hani Al-Shaer, confirmed to Kashif that he took the photo inside Nasser Hospital and that it shows a displaced girl from Al-Shati camp, north of Gaza, to Mawasi, Khan Yunis, who died as a result of the cold.

For his part, Dr. Ahmed Al-Farra, Head of the Pediatrics Department at Nasser Medical Complex, told Kashif that he examined Sila upon her arrival at Nasser Hospital, and confirmed that the cause of death was severe cold, and that the child was not infected and did not have any medical history.

In response to “Gazawood” claim that Sila Al-Fasih, was exposed to wounds, injuries and abuse, Al-Farra confirmed that the child does not suffer from wounds, but rather changes in the color of the skin that occur in cases of extreme cold, and he indicated that the adhesive that appears on her foot is the place where an injection was inserted that was placed in the British Hospital in an attempt to revive the child.

Al-Farra also said that newborns cannot tolerate extreme drops of temperature and lose heat more than other age groups, as the child cannot express himself when he feels cold. Al-Farra added that children in tents lack energy sources due to the lack of breastfeeding, necessary nutrition and a suitable environment.

International organizations and local institutions

• UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini confirmed that children in Gaza are freezing to death due to the cold and lack of shelter. He added via his X account on 27/12/2024 that “winter blankets and supplies have been stuck for months awaiting approval to enter Gaza.”
• For his part, UNICEF Regional Director Edouard Beigbeder warned of “the increasing number of deaths among children living in tents and makeshift tents in the Gaza Strip,” and said that “as temperatures continue to drop, we can expect an even greater tragedy, as more children will lose their lives due to lack of protection from the cold.” 
• The Government Media Office in Gaza reported on 28/12/2024 that the Israeli occupation is causing a serious humanitarian crisis that threatens the lives of thousands of displaced people, as 110,000 tents, or 81% of the total 135,000 tents, have become unusable due to severe frost waves. It pointed out that two million displaced people have been living for more than a year in dilapidated tents, which increases their suffering in light of the harsh weather conditions.
• The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced the death of two newborn babies, Ali Al-Batran and his twin, Jumaa Al-Batran, as a result of low temperatures and severe cold, bringing the number of newborn deaths due to cold to six children since the beginning of the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip on 7th October 2023.