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Winter cold \u2018becomes lethal\u2019 as Israel restricts entry of tents, blankets and other shelter supplies to ravaged enclave.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n A Palestinian infant has frozen to death in the Gaza Strip, local authorities say, as Israel continues to restrict the entry of shelter supplies and other humanitarian aid to the enclave despite the harsh winter conditions there.<\/p>\n The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said on Tuesday that the two-week-old baby, Mohammed Khalil Abu al-Khair, died a day earlier after seeking treatment for severe hypothermia, brought on by the extreme cold gripping Gaza.<\/p>\n list of 3 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera\u2019s Tareq Abu Azzoum noted that the child\u2019s death comes as basic protections in Gaza have been \u201csystematically dismantled\u201d due to Israel\u2019s genocidal war against Palestinians in the territory.<\/p>\n \u201cFamilies are living in tents on wet ground without heating, electricity or sufficient clothing,\u201d Abu Azzoum said.\u00a0\u201cWhen food, fuel, shelter and aid are banned, cold absolutely becomes lethal.\u201d<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s two-year war has decimated more than 80 percent of the structures across Gaza, forcing hundreds of thousands of families to take refuge in flimsy tents or overcrowded makeshift shelters.<\/p>\n A huge storm that recently hit the Strip killed at least 11 people as torrential rains and fierce winds flooded tents and caused damaged buildings to collapse.<\/p>\n \u201cWe try to dry the children\u2019s clothes over the fire,\u201d Umm Mohammed Assaliya, a displaced Palestinian mother, told Al Jazeera from Gaza City.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are no spare clothes for them. I am exhausted. The tent we were given cannot withstand winter conditions. We need blankets,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Humanitarian groups have urged Israel to allow unimpeded deliveries of aid to Gaza.<\/p>\n But the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, which the UN says is best suited to distribute supplies in the territory, says the Israeli government has blocked it from bringing aid directly into Gaza.<\/p>\nRecommended Stories <\/h2>\n