Israeli forces killed a Palestinian child, identified as Youssef Ahmed al-Shandaghli, in northern Gaza, hospital sources said. Continued strikes since a US-brokered October ceasefire and restrictions on aid deliveries have worsened conditions for hundreds of thousands of displaced people. UNICEF reported at least five children died in December from inadequate shelter, including seven-year-old Ata Mai, who drowned in heavy rain. The crisis intensified after Israel revoked licences for 37 international aid groups, prompting UN condemnation and warnings of halted relief.
Palestinian Child Killed in Northern Gaza as Aid Restrictions Deepen Winter Humanitarian Crisis
Displaced Palestinians try to stay warm amid the ruins of their destroyed home in southern Gaza's Khan Younis on December 30, 2025 [Haitham Imad/EPA]
Israeli forces have killed a Palestinian child in northern Gaza as hundreds of thousands of families across the heavily bombarded territory continue to suffer from restrictions on shelter supplies and other humanitarian aid.
A medical source at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City told Al Jazeera on Thursday that the child, identified as Youssef Ahmed al-Shandaghli, was killed by Israeli forces in the Jabalia an-Nazla area in the north of the territory. The precise circumstances of the boy’s death were not immediately clear.
Violence Continues Despite Ceasefire
The report comes amid continued Israeli strikes across Gaza despite a United States-brokered ceasefire that entered into force in October. Local and international sources say the raids have killed more than 400 Palestinians and injured many others since the truce began.
Humanitarian Conditions Worsen
Restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities on aid deliveries have compounded already dire conditions in the enclave, which has been heavily damaged by prolonged hostilities. Residents and observers describe the devastation and the scale of suffering in Gaza as catastrophic.
On Thursday, local media reported that a young girl died in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza due to extreme cold. Separately, the Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza said its teams recovered the bodies of a mother and child after a fire tore through a tent sheltering displaced people in the Yarmouk area of central Gaza City.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian families remain crowded into displacement camps and makeshift shelters across the Gaza Strip after their homes were destroyed during more than two years of conflict. The United Nations and humanitarian agencies have repeatedly urged Israeli authorities to permit the entry of tents, blankets and other essential supplies to help people survive dangerous winter conditions.
“Children in Gaza have endured enough and have the right to protection and safe shelter; all efforts must prioritize meeting this essential need,” UNICEF’s Middle East and North Africa regional director Edouard Beigbeder said in a statement.
He added that the "urgent and large-scale entry of a full range of life-saving and life-sustaining supplies" is required, including items that have previously been denied or restricted.
Earlier this week, UNICEF said at least five Palestinian children died in Gaza in December due to inadequate shelter. Among the victims was a seven-year-old boy, Ata Mai, who drowned on 27 December in a makeshift displacement camp northwest of Gaza City after heavy rain and freezing temperatures.
Aid Groups Facing New Restrictions
The crisis deepened after Israeli authorities moved to implement a ban affecting international aid groups working in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The government has revoked the operating licences of 37 aid organisations for allegedly failing to comply with new regulations that require detailed disclosure of staff, funding and operations.
UN officials condemned the move as "the latest in a pattern of unlawful restrictions on humanitarian access" in the occupied Palestinian territory, while the targeted organisations warned they may be forced to suspend critical life-saving work.
The combination of ongoing hostilities and tightened restrictions on aid has left civilians exposed to winter cold, shortages of shelter, and limited access to basic life-saving supplies. Humanitarian agencies are calling for immediate, unrestricted access to deliver tents, blankets, fuel and medical supplies to avert further loss of life.
