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Israel blocks 23 Gaza aid requests since ceasefire: NRC
Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza remain without proper shelter as winter rains and cold set in, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
Since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, the NRC said Israeli authorities have rejected 23 requests from nine aid agencies to bring in essential shelter materials, such as tents, sealing kits, bedding and blankets – nearly 4,000 pallets in total. Millions of items remain stuck in Jordan, Egypt and Israel awaiting approval.
The restrictions have left about 260,000 families exposed to worsening conditions.
“We have a very short chance to protect families from the winter rains and cold,” said Angelita Caredda, NRC’s Middle East and North Africa regional director. “Gaza should be receiving a surge of shelter materials, but only a fraction of what is needed has entered.”
Water crisis in Gaza has reached a ‘catastrophic level’
The water crisis in Gaza has reached a “catastrophic level”, says municipality spokesperson Hosni Mhanna, who added that:
- Catastrophic shortages have been reached due to the extensive destruction of water networks, wells and desalination plants caused by Israeli attacks.
- The amount of water currently reaching Gaza does not exceed 15 percent of its actual daily need.
- Only 17 out of 88 wells are operational, while the central desalination plant is completely out of service.
Palestinians walk past the rubble of destroyed buildings in Gaza City on Sunday
‘These soup kitchens keep us alive’
Al Jazeera has spoken to displaced Palestinians at a soup kitchen in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, where desperate families are reliant on sporadic aid deliveries for survival.
The ceasefire agreement was supposed to open up a flow of aid into Gaza, but according to the World Food Programme, only half of the food deliveries required are getting in, while other aid organisations say it may be even less.
“Life is difficult for us, because we own nothing and we don’t have anything to buy food with,” said Majid al-Zaity, a 55-year-old father of nine originally from Shati refugee camp in northern Gaza. “There is no work. Without the soup kitchens here, we couldn’t have eaten. These soup kitchens keep us alive.”
Hind Hijazy, a 43-year-old mother of six from Gaza City, said her family depended on the soup kitchen for survival.
“Every day I come … here to be able to provide food for my children,” she said. “They say there is a truce, but it is a sham truce because the siege is still in place. Flour is still expensive; everything is expensive for us.”
Children eat inside a camp for displaced Palestinians at a Gaza City school-turned-shelter
