Sila’s death at just 20 days old has highlighted the dire humanitarian crisis unfolding in southern Gaza, where families are facing unimaginable hardships in the wake of ongoing conflict. Sila’s mother, Nariman, revealed that she became alarmed when she noticed her infant daughter wasn’t moving. “I woke up in the morning and told my husband that the baby hadn’t stirred for a while,” she recounted. Tragically, Sila was found unresponsive.
The family, consisting of Nariman, her husband Mahmoud, and their two young children Rayan and Nihad, have been displaced over ten times throughout the 14-month conflict. Living in a tent along the beach, Nariman expressed her struggle to provide for her family, stating, “My husband is a fisherman, and we left without anything but we did it for our children.”
Inadequate infrastructure and freezing temperatures have severely impacted those in makeshift camps, with Nariman sharing, “The cold is bitter and harsh. All night, we huddle together to keep warm.” The family’s living conditions were further exacerbated by Israeli airstrikes targeting the al-Mawasi area, despite it being designated a safe zone for displaced civilians.
Sila’s tragic death was linked to hypothermia, one of six newborn deaths reported within a two-week span in Gaza, where nighttime temperatures dropped to nearly freezing. Health officials indicated that many newborns in similar conditions are succumbing to the cold, a direct consequence of the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Dr. Ahmad al-Farra from Nasser Hospital noted that Sila suffered from severe hypothermia, leading to cardiac arrest and subsequently, death. He reported a concerning trend of increasing premature births amid the war, coupled with the health impacts of malnutrition among mothers, further complicating infant care.
In a heartbreaking parallel, another family also faced a similar tragedy when baby Jumaa, just a few weeks old, succumbed to the cold. “What can I do? I see my children dying in front of me,” lamented his father, Yehia al-Batran.
As temperatures continue to drop, aid organizations warn that the situation for families and children in Gaza remains critical, with preventable deaths expected to rise due to harsh living conditions. In a poignant moment, Mahmoud carried Sila’s tiny body to a makeshift grave, digging her resting place in the sand under the watchful eye of drones overhead. Nariman and Mahmoud voiced their exhaustion and illness, expressing that if they do not perish from the conflict, they might succumb to the cold instead.
