Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it is seeing a sharp rise in respiratory infections across Gaza, as harsh winter weather exacerbates already dire living conditions and poses a growing danger to young children.

According to Al Mayadeen’s Saturday report, citing the medical charity’s statement on X, it said a 29-day-old infant died Thursday at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza just two hours after being admitted to an MSF-supported pediatric ward early in the morning. Medical staff were unable to save the child despite emergency treatment.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said the infant died due to a severe drop in body temperature.

This brings the number of people who have died after being hospitalized during the recent cold wave and extreme weather sweeping the enclave to 13.

The situation is being worsened by heavy rainfall and severe storms, the organization said, while hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians remain in damaged, makeshift tents that are frequently flooded.

The World Health Organization has warned that around 16,500 patients, including 4,000 children, are still awaiting medical evacuation from Gaza.

The organization cautioned that any further delays could prove fatal, particularly amid the collapse of the health system, adding that recovery for critical cases could take years without an expansion of evacuation efforts.

The WHO reported last Sunday that more than 1,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip died while waiting for medical evacuation permits from Israeli authorities between July 2024 and late November 2025.