Aid group sounds alarm over onset of winter in Gaza
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) says more than one million Palestinians in Gaza do not have sufficient shelter as winter approaches and brings cold and rainy weather. This winter, fewer buildings remain standing in Gaza.
This means most Palestinians, who have been forced to flee Israeli attacks over and over, are being forced to live in tents and makeshift shelters that provide considerably less protection against the cold wind and the rain.
“Some have sewn together old rice sacks to ensure they have something, at least, between them and the sky,” said Alison Ely, the NRC’s shelter specialist in Gaza. “When winter comes, these shelters will not keep them safe from strong winds, heavy rains and cold temperatures.”
The NRC noted that temperatures in Gaza can fall to 6 degrees Celsius (42 degrees Fahrenheit) during the winter.
Displaced Palestinians shelter in a tent camp in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, November 14
Bakeries in Gaza closing due to shortages, UN says
Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for the UN, told reporters that several bakeries in Gaza have shut down due to a lack of flour and fuel, while the remaining are at risk of imminent closure.
Just seven of the 19 bakeries supported by humanitarian organisations in Gaza are still running, he said, but they are “on the verge of shutting down” because they are running out of flour and fuel.
“This comes at a time when parts of northern Gaza are at imminent risk of famine” while there has been a “stark increase” in severe hunger in central and southern Gaza, Dujarric said.
Palestinians wait for fresh bread outside a bakery in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Wednesday
