Winter to worsen health crisis for Palestinians in Gaza: UNRWA official
In comments to the UK newspaper Financial Times, Louise Wateridge, a spokesperson for the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency, says an estimated half a million people in Gaza could be flooded with sewage once winter rains start.
“When it rains, sewage is going to pile up in lower [elevation] areas,” she told the newspaper. All displaced people “are using some kind of makeshift toilet and essentially trying to just get the sewage away from their shelter. But that doesn’t mean it’s not accumulating near somebody else’s or on the street.”
Israeli attacks have decimated infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, leaving Palestinians there to improvise. In winter, Wateridge said, malnourished people “will get sicker because it all works together against their health and wellbeing”.
Israel is still making it difficult to get aid into the Strip, she continued, saying 33 trucks loaded with mattresses had been parked at the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza for six months due to restrictions on aid deliveries.
“At the current rate of aid entering it will take two years to get it to everybody, so that they can all have basic things like mattresses, blankets and waterproof tents and tarps,” she said.
In #Gaza, the first rains of the winter season mean even more suffering. Around half a million people are at risk in areas of flooding.
The situation will only get worse with every drop of rain, every bomb, every strike.#CeasefireNow pic.twitter.com/2Kl4MmOt3P
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) November 25, 2024
Tents sheltering displaced Palestinians swept away during storms in Gaza
Parents are telling us that their children were confused about whether there was a thunderstorm or an air attack. They described this night as one of the hardest nights. Israeli forces are not only striking Palestinian tents but there have also been a lot of restrictions on the delivery of these tents.
We’re talking about more than a year of Palestinians displaced from one place to another multiple times, and most of these families do not have any shelter or protection. They do not even have any winter clothes.
The situation is very, very hard. More than half of Gaza’s population are living in makeshift camps with tents that have been there since last winter and are very fragile. They say they can’t afford to bring more tents because they are very expensive, and even if they were available, it would not be enough for many families.
Palestinians are not able to secure a loaf of bread for their families. Bakeries are not working today in Gaza because of a lack of fuel and flour.
Gaza experiencing tragic conditions worsened by rain: Civil Defence
Gaza Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal has spoken to Al Jazeera about the humanitarian situation in Gaza:
- The enclave is witnessing tragic conditions, becoming more difficult due to rain.
- Displaced people’s tents are being flooded.
- Rising water levels in ponds will cause them to flood homes.
- Israeli forces are preventing the work of relief organisations and international institutions.
- Our needs are great and the Israeli army has completely destroyed the relief system.
- Israeli forces are preventing the supply of cooking gas to the Gaza Strip, especially in the north.
Winter storm washes away or damages 10,000 tents
The Gaza Government Media Office says about 10,000 tents have been washed away or damaged due to the winter storm as it appeals for international help to provide displaced families with tents to shield them against the rain.
“According to government field assessment teams, 81 percent of the displaced persons’ tents are no longer usable. Out of 135,000 tents, 110,000 are completely worn out and urgently need replacement,” it said in a statement.
