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‘Humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza unchanged’: Civil defence spokesperson
No real improvement has been seen on the ground in the Gaza Strip, except for the entry of a limited number of trucks that fail to meet the minimum needs of the affected population, according to Mahmoud Basal, the spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defence.
“Homes remain destroyed, bodies are still trapped beneath the rubble, and roads are blocked by debris, while the Civil Defence teams continue to work with almost no resources amid massive devastation that covers every corner of the Strip,” he said in a statement published on Telegram.
He called on “all relevant international parties” to:
- Allow the entry of heavy machinery and engineering equipment through the crossings without restrictions or delay;
- Ensure safe humanitarian corridors for rescue teams and medical crews in the devastated areas;
- Provide urgent logistical and financial support for debris removal operations, recovery of bodies, and rehabilitation of essential infrastructure;
- Guarantee legal and humanitarian protection for civil defence personnel and all workers in the field.
Gaza City transformed into ‘piles of dust, shades of grey’
We’ve been walking around, driving between residential blocs that have largely been turned into piles of dust. The only thing we see here are shades of grey around Gaza City.
As soon as people arrive here, the happiness that they had on their faces as they returned, just fades away right away as soon as they see the piles of ruins. They’ve very hopeless, very helpless.
We are in an area that housed the UNRWA headquarters: The white and blue [building], very visible, marked the headquarters for central operations for UNRWA across the Gaza Strip. It has been destroyed completely.
The building that went from [UNRWA’s] centre of operations to a shelter for displaced families, is now standing here in ruins.
At least 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza need emergency shelter aid: UN
The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) has said “shelter needs remain dire” in the Gaza Strip, with about 90 percent of the population displaced and at least 1.5 million people in need of emergency shelter assistance.
The agency said 31,000 shelter items, including 2,500 tents, have been sent to Gaza since the ceasefire was announced earlier this month. But that falls short of what’s needed to help residents, thousands of whom have returned to northern Gaza to find their homes totally destroyed.
The IOM also stressed that it has 28,000 additional tents waiting in Jordan for as many as 168,000 people, as well as blankets, mattresses and other items, including tarpaulins and solar lanterns for Palestinians living in makeshift shelters.
But Israel’s continued restrictions on aid have blocked those items from being delivered. “With very few tents or tarpaulins available, some are using flour and rice sacks to shield themselves from the elements,” IOM said.
The group’s director general, Amy Pope, said shelter resources are desperately needed as “people in Gaza have endured unimaginable loss”.
“They need help that reaches them quickly and safely, through every possible route and entry point. Shelter isn’t a luxury; it is what allows families to rest, to stay warm, and to begin rebuilding their lives. Without it, recovery cannot begin.”
A Palestinian man carrying containers walks among tents in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, October 16
Israeli forces kill two in shelling east of Deir el-Balah
At least two people have been killed in Israeli shelling in an area east of Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, a source at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital told our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic.
Moreover, our correspondent from Al Jazeera Arabic also reported that Israeli forces launched artillery shelling in the area.
