Six Palestinian children have died from hypothermia in Gaza this winter, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday (13 January). The agency warned that more than 100 children have been killed since a ceasefire took effect in early October, 2025.
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said the deaths from cold exposure had occurred in recent days amid harsh winter conditions and ongoing humanitarian restrictions, speaking to reporters in Geneva via video link from Gaza.
The spokesperson added that “life in Gaza remains suffocating” and that “survival remains conditional”.
“That’s roughly a girl or a boy killed here every day during a ceasefire,” he added.
He said the confirmed victims included around 60 boys and approximately 40 girls.
Nearly all of the recorded child deaths since October were caused by military action, including air strikes, drone strikes (including quadcopters) tank shelling and gunfire according to officials. A smaller number of children were killed by unexploded remnants of war, UNICEF said.
Spokesperson Elder stressed that the figures are likely an underestimate, as they only reflect cases where sufficient details were available to verify the deaths.
“While the bombings and the shootings have slowed during the ceasefire, they have not stopped,” he said, warning that what is being described as “calm” would constitute a crisis in most other contexts.
However, UNICEF said the ceasefire has allowed limited but tangible humanitarian gains, including the expansion of primary healthcare and immunisation services, the reopening and addition of nutrition facilities to treat and prevent malnutrition, and urgent repairs to damaged water, sanitation and sewerage systems across Gaza.
According to the agency, these efforts have included restoring water pipelines and pumping stations, increasing waste removal, and distributing winter supplies such as thermal blankets and clothing, helping to avert famine and disease outbreaks.
Severe restrictions remain on essential supplies, including medical items, fuel, cooking gas and equipment needed for water and sanitation infrastructure, leaving conditions for children “unimaginably hard” after more than two years of war.
The current Gaza conflict stems from a broader war that began in October 2023 following a large‑scale attack by Hamas on Israel, triggering an extensive Israeli military offensive in the Strip.
After more than two years of intense hostilities and devastation, a U.S.‑brokered ceasefire agreement took effect on 10 October 2025 between Israel and Hamas, aiming to pause fighting and allow humanitarian access.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is ready to pursue diplomacy with Iran as nuclear talks resume in Geneva, using a visit to Budapes...
Geneva is set to host two sets of negotiations on Tuesday, with U.S. officials meeting Iranian representatives in the morning and a trilateral session...
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has moved swiftly to consolidate his authority following the dismissal of his long-time ally Kamchybek Tashiev, head of...
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards navy held military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday (16 February), state-linked media reported. The drill too...
A man accused of carrying out Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly three decades appeared briefly in a Sydney court on Monday (16 February)...
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards navy held military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday (16 February), state-linked media reported. The drill took place a day before renewed nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington in Geneva.
The 2026 Munich Security Conference (MSC) unfolded over three intense days in Munich, confronting a defining question of our era: has the post-Second World War international order collapsed - and if so, what will replace it?
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Geneva on Monday ahead of a second round of indirect nuclear talks with the United States, according to Iranian state media.
Azerbaijan and Serbia have formally launched a Strategic Partnership Council, marking a new phase in bilateral relations and placing cooperation under direct presidential oversight.
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said China has the power to bring an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, arguing that Beijing is enabling Moscow’s military campaign.
Austria’s Janine Flock won the gold medal in the women’s skeleton event at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Saturday.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani said the United States could evaluate its own interests separately from those of Israel in ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday (15 February) called it “troubling” a report by five European allies blaming Russia for killing late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny using a toxin from poison dart frogs.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Russia’s decision to change the leadership of its delegation for upcoming peace talks in Geneva appeared to be an attempt to delay progress.
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has moved swiftly to consolidate his authority following the dismissal of his long-time ally Kamchybek Tashiev, head of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS).
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Geneva on Monday ahead of a second round of indirect nuclear talks with the United States, according to Iranian state media.
Azerbaijan and Serbia have formally launched a Strategic Partnership Council, marking a new phase in bilateral relations and placing cooperation under direct presidential oversight.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani said the United States could evaluate its own interests separately from those of Israel in ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
Four people were killed on Sunday evening in an Israeli drone strike targeting a vehicle in eastern Lebanon near the Lebanese-Syrian border, Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) reported.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment