Gaza hospital says three babies die of 'severe temperature drop'

Khan Yunis, Palestinian Territories: The chief paediatric doctor at a southern Gaza hospital told AFP that three babies had died of severe temperatur...

Khan Yunis, Palestinian Territories: The chief paediatric doctor at a southern Gaza hospital told AFP that three babies had died of "severe temperature drop" this week, as the war-ravaged Palestinian territory grapples with winter cold.

In the most recent case, Dr. Ahmed al-Farra of Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis city said a three-week-old girl "was brought to the emergency room with a severe temperature drop, which led to her death".

Farra, the head of the hospital's paediatric services, mentioned two other cases his team handled on Tuesday.

"A three-day-old baby and another baby, less than a month old, both died after a severe temperature drop," he said.

"This is due to the fact that they live in tents," added the doctor, referring to Palestinians displaced by the more than 14-month war in Gaza who have sought shelter in makeshift camps, many in the coastal Khan Yunis area.