Displaced Kurdish Child Freezes to Death Amid Escalating Conflict and Harsh Winter
A displaced Kurdish child from Hasakah froze to death in Qamishlo as six children died across Western Kurdistan due to extreme cold, siege conditions, and shortages of fuel, food, and medical supplies.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - A Kurdish child displaced from Hasakah froze to death in Qamishlo after fleeing escalating military pressure in Western Kurdistan, as extreme winter conditions, fuel shortages, and displacement push vulnerable families to the brink.
According to information provided by Dilan Barzan Kurdistan24 correspondent in Qamishlo, Western Kurdistan (Northeast Syria) the child, identified as Hussein and originally from the city of Hasakah, died after his family was forced to flee their home due to tensions and instability linked to the blockade imposed by the Syrian Arab Army on Kurdish cities and areas in Western Kurdistan.
The family sought refuge in Qamishlo after being displaced, but the harsh conditions of displacement, combined with the absence of adequate heating materials, left the child unable to withstand the severe winter cold. His body succumbed to freezing temperatures amid shortages of fuel and food.
The incident comes as five other children died in Kobani from the same causes. Within a span of twenty-four hours, the total number of children who lost their lives due to cold exposure across Western Kurdistan rose to six.
Observers have warned that this winter has proven exceptionally harsh, with temperatures dropping below zero. The continued siege imposed on cities and regions of Western Kurdistan, coupled with severe shortages of fuel and food, has created a direct and growing threat to the lives of children and the elderly, whose physical resilience to extreme cold is limited.
The Kurdish Red Crescent reported that 5 children, including an infant, died in the besieged city of Kobani as a result of extreme cold and a continuing military blockade. The organization said the deaths were caused by a sharp drop in temperatures, a total lack of heating fuel, and critical shortages of essential medical supplies.
In a statement issued on Jan. 24, 2026, the Kurdish Red Crescent described the fatalities as part of a broader humanitarian crisis, warning that the ongoing blockade has created lethal conditions for the most vulnerable residents. The organization said families have been unable to heat their homes, while local health providers lack the medicines needed to treat cold-related illnesses.
The Kurdish Red Crescent called for the immediate opening of a humanitarian corridor to allow the delivery of urgent medical supplies and fuel, stressing that its relief teams remain ready but unable to move due to blocked access routes.
As displacement deepens and winter tightens its grip on Western Kurdistan, the deaths of 5 children in a single day stand as a stark warning of the human cost of siege, fuel shortages, and delayed humanitarian access.