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SvennoJ 18 hours ago
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Aid groups struggling to bring in winter clothes for Gaza’s children

The UN’s humanitarian agency, in its weekly update, noted that an eighth infant has died in Gaza due to the cold, but says child protection agencies in the enclave are facing “severe challenges” in bringing in winter clothing kits for children.

“These include delays in approvals by the Israeli authorities, complex procedures and customs clearance processes in Jordan, Egypt and Israel, and armed looting of aid supplies,” it said.

“For instance, for over a month, about 13,000 children’s clothing kits have been awaiting entry into Gaza from the West Bank and more than 11,000 children’s clothing kits have already been lost due to looting … As a result, only 19,000 children’s clothing kits out of a total of 220,000 procured kits have so far entered Gaza,” it said.

These were given to vulnerable children, including newborn babies in hospitals and children in residential care, it added.



Lives of 15 newborns in incubators at risk amid fuel shortages, says MSF

The group says there are 15 newborns in incubators at the facility’s neonatal intensive care unit, who are all dependent on electricity provided by fuel generators.

“Without fuel, these newborns are at risk of losing their lives,” said Pascale Coissard, MSF’s emergency coordinator.

“The babies in incubators rely on constant electricity for the ventilators that are keeping them alive. They are already in an extremely vulnerable state, and any transfer to other hospitals would directly endanger their lives,” she continued. “Putting the lives of children at risk like this is unacceptable and is a consequence of Israel’s ongoing blockade and continuous criminal looting of lifesaving supplies.”

As we’ve been reporting, authorities in Gaza say the Nasser, Al-Aqsa and European Hospitals in the enclave are facing imminent closure due to a severe fuel shortage. MSF said it has now transferred some fuel to Nasser and Al-Aqsa, to help them continue to serve the most critical patients for the next 36 to 48 hours.

MSF said it and other groups have been warning for over a year that the woefully inadequate supply of aid is threatening the lives of people in Gaza. “We have now reached a tipping point where one of the last specialised hospitals in the south of Gaza risks being out of order because of lack of fuel,” it added.


No letup in violence in Palestinian territory in the first week of 2025

The UN human rights office (OHCHR) reiterated its call for global action, saying the continued violation of international law in the occupied Palestinian territory must not be allowed to continue for another year.

It stated that Israel’s military has killed at least 332 Palestinians in Gaza since January 1, including women and children, and continues to impede the entry of aid into the enclave.

It also noted that Israeli forces continue to attack aid workers as well as Gaza’s civilian police, highlighting the gun attack on a WFP aid convoy earlier this week as well as the killing of two civilian police leaders in an attack on the so-called humanitarian zone of al-Mawasi.

Meanwhile, violence also continues in the occupied West Bank, it said.

Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians in their daily raids on the territory, including two boys, the office noted, while Israeli settlers have set fire to Palestinian homes and vehicles. The OHCHR also noted the Palestinian gun attack on Monday that killed three Israelis.

“Fifteen months of grave breaches of international human rights law and serious violations of international humanitarian law with impunity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory cannot be allowed to continue for another year,” it said. “This responsibility falls on the entire international community, especially countries with influence and leverage who can exercise pressure to protect civilians from further suffering and ensure accountability.”